Promise Me
by soundwavez
Summary: Luna and Draco fall madly in love; despite Voldemort's wishes. In a mad attempt to punish Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy for their rebellious son, Voldemort excludes the Malfoys from the Death Eaters, but he did not know how his actions would cause something so much greater.
1. Chapter 1: The Start to a Brand New Year

Prologue

"Dear Bella, may I see you in here?" Voldemort asked angrily from his seat at the head of the table. Beside him sat Severus Snape, no expression on his cruel face. All of the other Death Eaters sat grouped around the large oak table. The most devoted and faithful servants sat closer to the Dark Lord, including an empty seat where Bellatrix was to sit, right beside Voldemort. Also, the most useful to him sat closer, and that's why the two closest to him were Severus and Bella. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy sobbing into their hands, closest to the empty left for Bellatrix.

Bellatrix had just arrived; Ralphius had been hitting her again. Ralphius had always been abusive to his wife, sometimes the anger overcame him and he just couldn't hold it in. Bellatrix was used to it by now, she just slapped his face harder, leaving a large red welt on his cheek. She did not know why he dared her to hurt him; Voldemort was closer to Bellatrix than Ralphius; he would defend her first.

She was wearing her same black dress, with matted dirt stains on it. Her hair was large and frizzy, also matted with dirt. The curls that some called beautiful knotted up into a huge rat's nest; her hair had not been combed in years. Her fake nails were sharp claws, painted mustard yellow with large flecks of brown dirt littering the chipping surface.

Bellatrix was wearing several silver-chained necklaces around her grungy neck. They overlapped in several places and the longest chain swung by her waist.

The slits on her dress revealed pale, dirty skin. She had not showered since a couple of months ago, atleast. She stayed with Narcissa and Lucius; they had a shower they used everyday. Everybody urged Bellatrix to shower more often, but she spent more time devoting herself in every way to Voldemort. She had no idea if the Dark Lord appreciated her for everything she did; although he said Bella was his most devoted and faithful servant.

Bellatrix walked shamefully into the dining room, knowing she were to be in trouble. She was immediately curious, as she was used to Narcissa sobbing, but Lucius was one who tried to be strong. Bellatrix never trusted the two to be true Death Eaters; they had not devoted their lives to the Dark Lord like she herself had! They had always seemed more caring for their only son, Draco.

"Yes, my Lord?" she asked quietly.

"Can you explain the meaning of this?" Voldemort held up a scroll. The paper was crinkled and yellow, old and worn down by the sun, obviously delivered by owl. She thought she smelled something dead.

Bellatrix squinted to read the small, cursive ink letters. The color drained out of her grungy face as each word was read over and over in her mind. Her eyes widened with each single word.

She pulled her wand out of her boot forcefully, pointing it at the ceiling in anger as a blue streak flew from the tip, hitting the ceiling and leaving a large, crumbling circle in the high-ceilinged dining room.

Bellatrix looked at the rest of the Death Eaters, and they stared with their fierce eyes at Bella. But then every eye in the room turned toward Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy, as they sat sobbing in their hands.

Chapter 1

Harry was sitting remorsefully on his small, hard bed in his tiny, odd-smelling room. He held a picture, a crinkled, yellowing photo. Tears sprang to his eyes as he examined it.

It was a photo of Harry and his godfather, Sirius Black. They were standing in front of a fading yellow wall in Sirius's home. The wall looked cream with the fading buttercup yellow. Harry saw no pictures he recognized; it was just a blank wall and the oak wood flooring with several layers of dust that had not been cleaned off. The ceiling was slanted as Harry remembered, and the tiles on it were popcorn kind, with big bubbles and flakes littering the ceiling. Harry was wearing a plain white V-neck shirt and jeans. Hermione told him he had looked handsome in those clothes. He had his arm around Sirius's shoulder, and Sirius had his arm around Harry's shoulder.

His godfather that he had not seen in so long looked so different than in Harry's memories.

The most noticeable difference was that in Harry's mind, Sirius was a kind, caring, wonderful person who loved him and was his only family. He would have given up his life to protect Harry and his two best friends, Ron and Hermione. And he did, he went to the Ministry, knowing the danger of the Death Eaters, and as he was there, he endangered his life fighting for Harry's.

In the photo, he still looked like a prisoner.

Harry set the picture back down on his nightstand and sighed. He lay down on the bed as he stared at the ceiling and his green eyes closed slowly, a wall between the torturous, painful present and the happy, peaceful memories he had experienced.

He wouldn't say he was not excited to go back to Hogwarts for his sixth year. But he wondered, would it be the same when he didn't have a family once again? Before, he had felt so safe, so happy, so loved. And now he felt so cold, empty, and alone. Would it ever feel the same without the only family he would ever have?

He sat up from the bed, although, the warm blankets and comfy, almost, mattress made him feel like falling asleep, because sleep was a world where anything could happen, and sure, there are occasional nightmares that fill your mind with the dark side of things. Lately the most reoccurring nightmare was not merely a vision of fantasy monsters that he could simply blast away with a wave of a wand. It was something that had already happened, not even that long ago.

Harry was just tired of watching Bellatrix wave her wand, and blasting Sirius with that red lightning bolt, and a scream of "_Avada Kedavra!_" before he dropped to the ground.

And Harry was crying and screaming and writhing against Lupin as he pulled him backward, away from Sirius's dead body, and Bellatrix laughing at the murder of her cousin, that evil grin that lit up her features with that haunting look. She had been waiting so long for that. Harry just couldn't imagine devoting your whole life to murder. It just seemed horrible and disgusting. Especially when it's someone like Sirius.

He wondered if Ron and Hermione were excited for Hogwarts, or if they were as utterly mortified as he was. They probably didn't understand the feeling.

Because they had family. They had moms and dads who loved them and cared for them. If they lost a godfather, they'd be sad. They might have even cried. But soon they'd get over it. Because they had more family.

Harry was all alone. Sure he had the Dursleys. They were blood family, but Sirius was family by caring for Harry like nobody else. The Dursleys couldn't care less if Harry was happy, sad, alive, or dead. In fact they would probably prefer him dead.

Harry started to pack. Yesterday he had gone shopping for schoolbooks and robes with the Weasleys. Those were all carefully placed into his suitcase. He placed his necessities like a toothbrush, a small tube of toothpaste that was given to him by the Dursleys. It was the cheap, throwaway kind that the dentists give to you at the end of the appointment. Of course, Harry was never allowed to go to the dentist. Or the doctor. Why waste money on him, when he could just use a simple spell to zap away cavities or a disease? Harry wanted to yell at them, "It doesn't work like that! Can't you just pretend you like me, at least until I leave for Hogwarts? And you can continue with your life as if I didn't exist." He was sure that they already did.

Harry packed the rest of his things, anger boiling in him. He could feel it rising through, as if liquid hate rose through him and bubbled at the surface. Maybe he was mad at Bellatrix, for killing the only person who cared. Or maybe he was mad at the Dursleys, for never caring for him, and always giving him the worse side of the deal. Or maybe he was mad at Sirius, for leaving him.

He really didn't care whom he was mad at; he just knew how terrible he felt.

Harry wondered if it was time for dinner yet. Vernon and Petunia did not call him down; they usually ate without him. And of course, Vernon had seconds and thirds, because he was a very big man, and Harry got the scraps at the bottom of the bowl. He didn't care. He was too angry to eat anyway.

With a sigh, he changed into his nightclothes and fell asleep, ready for tomorrow, when he would get to leave this sick, torturous place, and go where he had friends that cared for him.

That night he did not have the same, reoccurring dream that he always had. It was actually a dream he would never tell anybody about. It made him feel so awkward inside.

He was in a dark room, and his lips were molded against somebody else's. She was sweet smelling, like cherries and sugar. It was a familiar scent to him. His hands were resting in her hair; it was soft and silky with bouncy curls. Her hands were resting on his cheeks pushing his face closer to hers. His eyes were closed but he didn't want to open them. He didn't want this kiss to end. Her lips were glossy, as if gloss had just been applied to them.

But she was slowly backing away. All he wanted was to grab her by the waist and pull her closer to him.

But they pulled apart. And his eyes were still locked shut. He was scared to see who this mystery person was.

Slowly his eyes fluttered open.

Her features were perfect. Full, pink lips that opened up to see a set of pearly white, straight teeth. Her skin was perfect and smooth, no blemishes or freckles. And her eyes, emerald green, framed with thick, black lashes.

Just above that were perfectly shaped, brown eyebrows. Her face was the most beautiful face he had ever seen.

The hair was light brown, like caramel, with perfect shine and curls. It was shoulder-length and bangs swept her forehead in a perfect arc.

The realization struck him like a knife.

He was kissing Hermione.

Harry woke up with sweat pouring down his forehead; he sat up and pulled the scratchy blanket off of him. He shoved his glasses on his face and got up to go to the bathroom.

He stared at his face in the mirror. Had he really just dreamed that?

He turned the shower on to cold and quickly got in. He washed himself quickly and got out, throwing a polo and some jeans on. They were Dudley's old clothes, so they were a bit big on him, but it didn't matter. Soon he would be wearing robes and nobody could tell that he wasn't loved enough to be given his own clothes.

He went down stairs and checked the clock. He still had an hour before he had to leave for the train station. He threw a pastry in the toaster and waited for it to pop out. The Dursleys were in the living room; they had finished their extravagant breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon, and sausage with a glass of orange juice while Harry was in the shower. They were watching the news on the television, and Harry peeked through their heads to see the weatherman announcing today's forecast.

When the pastry popped out of the toaster, Harry sat down and ate it on the counter. Mrs. Dursley had actually chosen his favorite kind: strawberry. Usually she grabbed any flavor she saw on the shelf, and Harry had to force a pastry with apple and blackberry down his throat.

Harry went upstairs and grabbed his owl, Hedwig, his wand, which he carefully tucked into his suitcase, and the rest of his luggage. He brought it gently down the staircase and set it down on the floor right beside the door.

"Do I have to drive you to that Hog Pimple place again?" Vernon asked gruffly, not turning his head toward Harry.

"It's called Hogwarts, and no, the Weasleys will be picking me up any second now." Harry stated.

"Good."

Harry recognized the Weasley's car. It pulled up in the driveway, and Harry opened the front door, glanced back at the Dursleys. They did not say goodbye, or even acknowledge him. He turned back around and let the door slam behind him. He dragged his suitcase behind him with one hand, the other hand holding Hedwig's cage.

Harry climbed into the back seat; it was a very crowded car.

"Hello, Harry." Mrs. Weasley said kindly.

"Hi, Mrs. Weasley." Harry said, laying Hedwig's cage on his lap.

"How are you and the Dursleys?" Mr. Weasley asked. He was very kind and caring for Harry and the Dursleys, although Vernon and Petunia had no tolerance for wizards of any kind.

"Uh, they are fine, I guess."

"Have you talked to them at all today?" Ron asked from across the backseat. He realized he was sitting right by Ginny. Ron did not, however, care for the Dursleys. He saw them as mongrels; how could somebody not care about Harry?

"Well, yes, Vernon asked if he had to drive me, and I said no." Harry stated, feeling like he had too much attention in this cramped car.

He saw Mr. and Mrs. Weasley exchange worried glances; Harry felt they cared too much about his home life. Obviously he was fine. They didn't harm him; poison the scraps of food they left or leave snakes in his bed. Actually, they acted like there was no Harry Potter. Especially not in their house. But Harry liked it that way. Ever since Sirius died Harry felt as if he was given too much attention. He needed to be alone, to wallow in his own self-pity.

"Radio's broke. I've been trying to fix it the whole way here." Mr. Weasley stated. Nobody responded.

"Harry, I've been sending owls to your house the whole summer. Did you get the messages?" Ron asked. Harry looked over Ginny, Fred, and George to see him, sitting on the window seat, as cramped as Harry was.

"No, sorry, Uncle Vernon shoos all the owls away." Harry said quietly.

"Oh." Ron said, disappointedly.

It was quiet the whole car ride to the station. Harry didn't feel like it was awkward silence, he felt it was just silence. If he had anymore, though, he was sure his thoughts would make him insane.

Ginny sat closest to Harry, and he realized how beautiful she looked. Harry tried to keep thinking about this, and not about Sirius. Ginny's hair was straightened; he had never seen it that way before. He thought she might be wearing a hint of makeup; he could see her eyelashes clearly now. And she had a hint of blusher on her cheeks. Harry noted the way it made her eyes look beautiful.

She was wearing a green tank top and shorts that ended well above her knees. On her feet were white flip-flops, and they looked as if they had just been washed. Her toenails were painted bright pink; nail polish was a luxury for the Weasleys. On her wrist was a woven rope bracelet.

Ginny turned to him and smiled a pearly white, straight-teethed smile, just like the one in Harry's dream. Harry shook that memory out of his head. How could he dream about his best friend like that? It seemed so wrong, but yet so right.

Harry recognized the familiar train station. The car came to a stop right in front of the wall they were supposed to go through.

Harry climbed out of the car and stretched his legs. Out piled the Weasleys, grabbing their luggage. George looked around, saw no humans looking at him, and ran right through the wall, disappearing into the dark red bricks. Fred followed him right through, then went Ginny, Mrs. Weasley, and then Mr. Weasley. Ron and Harry then went through. Harry noticed that Ron looked like he had filled out more during the summer. His long, bony arms and legs were now thicker, with muscles. His long, sloppy hair was cut just like Harry's, short and out of his eyes.

Mrs. Weasley gave all of the children a hug, including Harry, where she whispered in his ear, "Harry, have a great year. This summer you can stay with us. Don't worry about the Dursleys."

Harry pulled away from the hug. "Thank you, Mrs. Weasley. For- for everything." He gave her a real, true, sincere smile.

"I know it's been hard for you lately, ever since, well, you know." She said, with a sad, remorseful expression on her kind face.

"I'm fine. Really I am. I told myself to forget about what happened," Harry cleared his throat. "What happened at the Ministry."

Molly put her hands on his shoulders. "If you need anything at Hogwarts, just send me an owl. We're always happy to hear from you, Harry."

"Thank you Mrs. Weasley. I better get on the train if I want to have good seats." Harry said, and he trotted toward the train, where Ron waited on the step for him.

"Goodbye, Harry!" Mrs. Weasley called.

Harry waved at her as he climbed the steps with his suitcase.

"Sorry about my mum." Ron said as they boarded the train. "She just adores you, you know. You're all she ever talks about, it seems."

"It's fine. Nice lady, she is." Harry responded, no smile on his face.

"Say, where's Hermione?" Ron asked, looking around. "She should be here by now. Train's leaving any minute."

"Yeah. She usually meets up with us by now."

Harry and Ron set their luggage down in their compartment. He hadn't seen anyone that usually sat by them, like Luna or Neville.

Harry wondered if they were early. He looked around. He saw many other Hogwarts students bustling around, but not nearly as any as usual.

"And what about Ginny, Fred, and George?" Ron wondered.

They slid open the door of the compartment and slid out.

Ron and Harry saw a sight that made them sigh with relief. Neville was running up to them. But he was all alone. No Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Fred, or George.

"Neville, where is everyone?" Harry asked as he approached.

"They're all over there." Neville said, short of breath from running. He pointed over to the other side of the train. "It's George, I think he's hurt."

Ron panicked. "What's wrong? Did he fall? Is he okay? Neville, tell me! Is it serious?"

"Calm down, Ron. He's alright. Maybe a broken leg. Not really sure. There was a big crowd. I don't know what happened." Neville said. "Go see him. I'll lead the way."

They hurried through the train, past all the bustling students that he saw. They went through many hallways until they saw a giant crowd of familiar people.

"Out of the way!" Ron shouted. "That's my brother!"

People let him pass through until he was at the front. Harry could not see what was going on, as he was still in the back. But he saw Madam Pomfrey, who went on the Hogwarts train to ensure no students got hurt on the way to and fro, was hurrying from the back of the train.

She made her way to the front. She examined George for a while, testing out his consciousness and things like that. She tested his reflexes before standing up and shooing the crowd away.

"It is alright, students. Just a broken leg. I can fix that right up in the first aid compartment. Go sit back down."

The crowd dispersed, and only Fred remained. Harry and Ron finally found who they were looking for.

"Hermione!" Harry shouted, but Ron remained quiet.

"Harry, I didn't think I'd find you!" Hermione said, running up to him as he gave her a giant bear hug.

But it was all too real. The dream he had had. It was so familiar, his hand on her waist. He pulled away quickly, and Hermione looked at him strangely.

"What's wrong, Harry? I haven't talked to you all summer!" Hermione said, with that same brilliant smile.

"Nothing. It was just," Harry cleared his throat again. "It was just nice to see you."

"It's great to see you, Harry." Hermione said, smiling her beautiful smile. "Ron come here, I need a hug from you!"

Ron walked up and encircled Hermione, with his big, muscley arms. They didn't pull apart for a while, and for some reason that bothered Harry.

When they pulled apart, they walked together back toward their compartment.

They opened the sliding glass door, and found Neville, Luna and Ginny waiting for them.

They settled in and began talking, and Harry realized what real friends are. People who can make you laugh, and somebody you can cry with. Somebody who cares for you in your darkest times, and you care for even when they aren't caring for you. That's what friends are. And that's what Harry had, sitting around him.

Luna and Neville spoke to each other, and from Harry's point of view it looked as if Neville was interested in her. Harry had to admit, Luna was a beautiful girl, but not Harry's type. He thought they were good together, but she did not seem that way. She looked at Neville as a friend, and Harry saw that in her electric blue eyes.

But for some strange reason, he saw Hermione as more than a friend.


	2. Chapter 2: Losing Your Memory

Chapter 2

Draco Malfoy sat in the Slytherin common room, surrounded by Crabbe and Goyle. They were annoying him once again. Draco was sitting in a green recliner, feet down on the ground. The chair was turned towards the wall as Goyle laughed obnoxiously at Crabbe's stupid joke. Draco rolled his eyes and sighed loudly, although his 'friends' did not get the message to shut the hell up.

Lately he had been feeling apart from them. All he wanted to do was leave. He wanted new friends, new cronies, from another House, even. Obviously not Gryffindor; his mum and dad would blow a gasket. From Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw, maybe. He was sick and tired of hearing the two goons talk.

"I'm going on a walk. _Please_ don't care to join me." Draco hissed, standing up from the large, green recliner turned toward the wall.

Crabbe and Goyle laughed, as if it was some sort of joke, and Draco stood up, shuffling out of the common room. It seemed like a long walk, as the two goons stared after him, wondering why he had left them. The portal hole opened up as Draco pushed against it, and his feet padded up each rusty metal stair; it made a clink with each little step he took until he reached the very top. He was not exhausted; he climbed that huge flight of steps everyday of his life.

Draco was tired of the people he had to call friends. He was tired of the school he had to call home. It was not the home he knew.

In fact, there was no place he could call home. His parent's relentless sobbing and whining drove him insane. They felt as if they neglected their only son, although all Draco wanted was to be left alone. And his aunt Bellatrix, oh how devoted she was, really. It constantly got in the way of everything his parents said. Bellatrix would reply, "Is the Dark Lord okay with this?" or "Has the Dark Lord granted his permission?" And she smelled _awful_; she never showered and she was always covered in dirt.

Draco would give anything to have a normal life, where a band of devoted Death Eaters would not gather around your dining room table and discuss how to kill Harry Potter. Or have a prison under his home that his parents held hostages in. His father had cast a spell to make the ceiling of the prison soundproof, but late at night while Draco was trying to sleep he still heard the wails of the hostages whom would never be allowed to escape from the fiery hell they called life.

He needed something new, something fresh, something that gave him the will to move on. Lately he had been wondering lately if he should continue. What would people do without him? Why should he continue when there was nothing to look forward to? What would he do when things got worse? His life was definitely not good, but it was also not bad. It was a life of mediocrity with no escape, like a flat plain of land that he could never leave.

His parents were not devoted to Voldemort as Bellatrix was. The only reason they pretended to be was to stay safe from Voldemort. He would not kill a Death Eater. And that is why they pretended. Truly, they only cared about Draco.

He did not know where he was walking, just down corridors and halls. He ended up wandering into the Great Hall. It was empty, since it was four in the afternoon. They had arrived on a Friday, so their first full day at Hogwarts was a Saturday.

Draco left the Great Hall, and headed back towards Crabbe and Goyle, with a sigh.

2 Days Later

Draco strutted into the Potions dungeon. This class he was excited for. Only one without Crabbe and Goyle. He grabbed a seat by himself.

Severus walked into the room, the concrete door slamming. Snape's black cloak billowed behind him as he walked to the front of the dungeon.

"Class," he said in his haunting voice. "Don't get too comfortable in your seats." He held up a paper.

_Seating chart_, Draco thought, _can't I sit alone?_

Snape began placing people in their new seats. They seemed like they were purposely bad spots, but surprisingly, Draco was not placed by Potter.

Snape sat him down at a bench all alone. Draco got excited. Would he actually get to sit all by himself?

But then Snape walked smoothly toward the empty seat by Draco and said, "Lovegood." In a chilling voice.

He started cursing in his head. By a Ravenclaw? How dare Snape put him by an inferior.

But then Lovegood sat down.

He stared at her from the corner of his eye, so she would not realize he was staring.

She was pale, was the first thing Draco noticed. But not a bad pale, a softer white tint to her skin. Her eyes were bright blue, like a jolt of electricity sent through him. Her white blonde hair was curled into tight ringlets that cascaded down her back. Her lips were soft, full and pink. She was wearing her regular old robes, but on her feet were sparkly sneakers, not even worn down.

He shook the thoughts out of his head. A Ravenclaw? Sure, she was attractive, but did Draco really want to ruin his reputation over a girl like her? If his friends found out that he liked her, Draco did not know what would happen.

Draco tried to concentrate on the lesson, but Luna kept shifting around and it made it hard to focus. She kept catching his attention. Was that a bad thing? Draco watched as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ears. He wanted to do the same, to get all the hairs out of her bright blue eyes.

Severus called him to the front of the classroom to make a potion. It was an easy one. It was a goblin hair potion; it cured boils on wizard's faces. Of course, Draco had studied all the potions, so as to not make a fool of himself in front of the class. He mixed it perfectly and Severus gave him a small nod, to show that Draco had done well. Draco sat back down by Lovegood, thinking of ways to get her attention.

By the time class was over, he was still brainstorming. If he did happen to catch her attention, would he want to keep her around? Or would she be like Pansy, whom he got rid of the second things got serious? And he wondered, why am I jumping to conclusions? If Lovegood did like me, would she say it, or would she hide it like I am?

He realized how wrong it was to hide that he had a small, tiny even, crush on Luna. He would want her to say that she had a crush, so why wouldn't he? But he just couldn't work up the nerve to say it.

That night he sat in bed, wondering. He hadn't even spoken a word to the girl, and he already had a crush on her? That seemed a little bit crazy to him, but could he stop the electric jolt he felt in his stomach when he looked in her sky blue eyes? Could he stop the feeling of want as she flipped her hair behind her shoulder? He had never had a crush before. It felt so odd, to like somebody for something they couldn't even control. But he felt something, and he knew it. He felt something with Luna Lovegood that he had never felt with anybody else.

He had never had a crush on Pansy Parkinson. She was pug-faced and rude, and very pushy around Draco. And very pushy- at night.

He was always uncomfortable about Pansy sneaking into the boy's dormitory every night. But what could he do about it? All the Slytherin boys made snide comments to him about it, but he knew they were jealous. They said remarks like, "Well, I slept well, but I'm pretty sure Draco didn't." and laugh their tails off. So he laughed with them.

And one time, Pansy did not get dressed before walking into the bathroom, and there was already someone in there. Pansy didn't like people bringing up that particular memory.

But Luna was different. He could tell. She was special. He knew that she was a bit strange, but is normal something you really strive for in a person? Doesn't normal ever get a little boring? Draco felt a blossom in his stomach. But he knew if he ever shared this information with the other Slytherins, they would get a good laugh.

Draco turned the lamp off and let his thoughts wander around. They settled on Luna, though, and he smiled and fell asleep.  
Hermione woke up in the morning, ready for her second day of spells. She had been studying all night last night, and she had looked up and realized, finally, how close she was sitting to Harry. And she smiled at him, and as he looked at her, a blush hit his cheeks and he looked back down.

Hermione got ready hurriedly; she knew how awful it would be to be late for her first class of the day: Potions. She had been sat by Seamus, who was not bad, but she was actually hoping to be sat by Harry. Snape would have never let that happen though.

She felt the most sorry for Luna, though. Poor thing, she was seated by Draco Malfoy. Hermione shivered just thinking the name. And she noticed that Draco kept glancing at Luna during the lesson, probably thinking of ways to make fun of her.

Hermione got done getting ready and met the boys downstairs in the common room. They walked to their first class together, laughing as Ron cracked a joke about Snape's huge nose.

Ron was seated by a Hufflepuff girl. She was shy; she didn't say a word to Ron. Harry sat by Neville. Some people get all the luck. She was talking about Neville.

At the end of the day, Ron, Harry, and Hermione sat studying by the fireplace in their usual spots. Ron was working on a spell he could not master, Hermione was reading her Herbology textbook, and Harry was staring at Hermione as she read, and wondering what she felt about him.

"_Obliviate_!" Ron said, waving his wand at a plastic cup. "_Obliviate_!" he tapped his wand on the coffee table. "I swear to you, this wand is not working at all!"

"_Obliviate_!" Ron tried again. But he missed the cup and the little white streak of light hit Harry, knocking him to the floor.

"Oh, God, Harry are you alright?" Hermione asked, throwing her textbook on the couch. "Ron, what spell did you use?"

"The one that lifts things up. _Obliviate_." Ron answered calmly. "But he's alright, you see?"

"Ron, you're so stupid! _Wingardium Leviosa _lifts things up; _Obliviate_ makes people lose their memory!"

"Oh, geez, is he alright?" Ron said, panicked.

Harry's eyes opened wide, and he started scooting backwards, away from Ron and Hermione.

"Harry, are you alright?" Hermione asked, reaching an arm out to him.

"Who are you people? Get away from me!" Harry screeched.

"No, Harry, we're your friends! Remember Ron and Hermione? Please Harry, try and remember!"

"No! No, no, no!" Harry said, still backing away from the two. "Why are you calling me that?"

"Ron, we need to get him down to Madam Pomfrey. She can help him."

Harry was silent. He fought against Ron dragging him but Ron won and pulled him the hospital unit.

"What seems to be the problem here, Mr. Potter?" Madam Pomfrey asked, pulling her latex gloves from the last patient off.

"Ron, very stupidly might I add, accidentally used the _Obliviate_ spell on him." Hermione answered, grabbing Harry's arm.

"Oh, I've got a spell to cure that, don't you worry, Miss Granger." Madam Pomfrey said with a smile.

Ron set Harry down on a cot, and held him down as Madam Pomfrey waved her wand in the air and said a spell, and a bolt of white light burst from her wand and hit Harry, right on the head. And she set the wand down on the table.

Harry's eyes opened again, but this time they were the green eyes that Ron and Hermione were used to.

"Harry?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey? What's wrong? Why am I in the hospital unit?" Harry asked, sitting up too quickly and having to lie back down.

"Just a little memory loss. But you are good to go now." Madam Pomfrey released him, and he, Ron, and Hermione trotted back off towards the Gryffindor common room, calling their thanks over their shoulders.

Back in the common room, Hermione picked up studying. Ron and Harry played cards. After a while, the crowd in the common room dispersed until it was just the three. Then Hermione packed up all her books and went up to bed. Ron won the game and they climbed the stairs to the boy's dormitory. They changed into their nightclothes and went to bed for the night.

The next morning Draco woke up, ready to talk to Luna for the first time. Yesterday he had been too cowardly to speak, but now he was ready. He had worked up the courage the previous night.

He showered quickly and dried off. He changed into his black robes and combed out his hair. He washed all the sleep off his face, slid his shoes on, grabbed his wand, and went downstairs to the common room and upstairs to the corridor.

After making it down a couple flights of stairs, Draco finally walked into Snape's dungeon. He took his seat at the back of the class, waiting for Lovegood to arrive. Nervous, he freshened his breath a little, although he just brushed his teeth.

When Luna walked in, Draco could tell an obvious difference. Her normally curly hair had been flat ironed and it was sleek and straight. But other than that, she looked almost the exact same. If anything, more beautiful.

"Hello, Draco." She said lightly, setting her books down on the desk.

"Hey, Lovegood." He said.

Luna looked up, surprised. "I didn't think you'd answer me."

"I didn't think you'd start the conversation." Draco replied, feeling a knot in his stomach.

Luna smiled at him. "I thought you didn't like Ravenclaws."

"I usually don't." Draco said smoothly. "I like you though." He winked.

"You like me?" Luna asked, surprised.

"Sure." He said picking up a piece of her soft hair in his hand. She giggled. "You're nice, and pretty."

"Why, thank you Draco. Nobody's ever been this nice to me before."

"Sure they have. How could someone not be nice to you?"

"It's possible." She said quietly.

Draco laid his hands on the desk, ready to grab a quill if instructed. Luna's hands were also resting on the table. She grabbed his hand, and he grasped back. She had feared he would let go. But he didn't. He held on.


	3. Chapter 3: Beginning of Infinity

Chapter 3

"Harry, have you finished that essay for Snape yet?" Hermione asked.

It was a cold, rainy Friday morning, and all the other students had just left for breakfast. Harry and Hermione were not hungry, though.

"Nope. Don't plan on it till the last minute." Harry replied, grinning as Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You really need to start being more organized, Harry. One of these days you won't finish an essay or a paper or even a _test_. And Snape will _kill_ you, Harry."

"Yeah, probably soon." Harry said, and he and Hermione laughed. But the laughs stopped, and they were staring at each other, knowing what was supposed to happen right then.

Harry felt a giant knot in his stomach. He was nervous, but this was the moment he was waiting for since forever. Their bodies were getting closer and closer, and Harry could smell the sweet scent of cherries and sugar, the same as in the dream.

Their lips touched and molded together. The kiss was slow and short. Harry's senses were heightened. He could feel everything, like his hand burning against the back of her neck and her hands sending lightning bolts through his arms.

And then they pulled apart. They stared at each other for a long second before they both fell into the kiss again. But it was so much more passionate and desperate. Their lips opened and she bit his lower lip, pulling it from his teeth. Their hands wandered across each other's bodies, but they settled in each other's hair.

This kiss was long and needy, passionate and loving.

But then Ron stepped into the common room.

"You guys better get down to-"

There was silence. Harry felt as if there was ice in his veins, prickling and bringing cold down his arms and back. A knot formed in his stomach, and he watched the color drain from Hermione's face.

She jumped up from the couch. "Ron, I'm so sorry. Really, I am."

Ron was pale, and he had a betrayed, almost, expression on his freckly face. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides.

"Ron, you gotta understand, please, we weren't doing this to hurt you. Ron, are you listening?" Harry pleaded, but Ron was not listening. He was standing there with that same blank look on his face.

But then his fists unclenched and the color went back to his face. But he did not say a word. He did not make a sound. He turned around and left the common room.

"Ron, please!" Hermione called. But he was gone.

Harry turned to Hermione. "I feel awful. What should we do, Hermione?"

"We're going to be late for Potions. We could talk to him there." She responded quietly, gathering her textbooks and packing them in her bag.

Harry nodded, wondering if he should grab Hermione's hand. He had a billion questions floating through his head. Was it too soon to ask them? Were Harry and Hermione dating? Would they kiss again? Would she feel too bad about Ron to continue their relationship?

They walked to class together, silently, not touching arms. Harry could still feel the fire burning in his lips, and everywhere he touched Hermione. Did Hermione feel the same? That was the question he most wanted to ask, because it pretty much answered all the other ones he needed an answer to. Harry peeked at Hermione from the corner of his eyes, and saw that she was not looking at him. She was looking straight ahead, and she looked hurt and betrayed. Was she betrayed by Harry?

"Hermione," Harry whispered, but Hermione heard him loud and clear.

"Harry, we shouldn't have," she cleared her throat. "We shouldn't have kissed."

Harry cringed, as if this statement hurt him in the heart. And though she did not know this, it really did hurt him. All he wanted right now was to grab her by the waist and kiss her again. He could feel the intensity in his lips. Like a fuse, ready to blow if he didn't hold her in his arms and kiss her again.

She glanced at Harry and frowned. "You know that. It was a mistake, and we won't do it again."

Harry nodded sadly. He resisted the urge with all his strength and was able to make it to Potions, where he slid into his chair. Apparently, they were earlier than they thought.

Draco cleared his throat and smiled at Luna.

"Draco, can I tell you something?" Luna asked with her high voice.

"Sure, Luna." He smiled. He had never been this nice to a person, but she was something special, and he couldn't help smiling thinking of her.

She smiled a big smile. "I'm different, and I know most people think I'm crazy. But I've liked you since last year."

Draco's heart skipped a beat. Was this a dream? If it was, he knew he didn't want to wake up. Not ever. Because Luna Lovegood just told him she liked him. And he liked her. He didn't know what to feel. Excited, happy, worried?

What could he say? Anything that said the feeling was mutual would make him sound like a fool, and he knew that was something that couldn't happen in front of Luna. She was gazing at him with her electric blue eyes, and once again Draco felt the jolt in his chest. She was waiting for an answer, a reply, something that meant Draco telling his feelings.

He thought of saying he didn't like her. But that could mean holding off the relationship, and Draco was impatient waiting for things that he wanted to happen. Besides, he wanted more than anything to say the truth, but did he have the courage?

He thought of saying he did like her. But what if it was just a joke? Would she play with his feelings like that? Or maybe it was a cover-up to see his feelings for her. But as he gazed in those eyes, he saw something that doubted everything he just thought: caring. He wanted so bad to say he did.

"I like you too." He responded, after what felt like forever.

Luna looked absolutely shocked. The color went back into her face, and a slight blush hit her cheeks. "You do, Draco?"

He nodded. There was something in his throat, and he knew if he spoke he would say the wrong thing.

They both smiled as Snape entered the classroom. It was not a happy occasion; Draco looked forward to the first ten minutes of class that Snape was not there for. They were smiling cause they felt the same way about each other. And because Luna grabbed Draco's hand under the desk, and he gripped harder.

"Class," Snape drawled. "Turn to page one hundred seventy-five."

Draco sighed, pulling his Healing Potions book out of his bag with one hand. Luna did the same, but her pages were stuck together and she could not find the right one. So Draco guided her hand to pull the pages from each other. She smiled at him and he chuckled. Nobody took notice of this gesture, and Snape started the lesson.

Draco found the page incredibly boring. What wasn't boring, though, was seeing Luna's eyes follow the words on the page. He could watch her for hours. Every once in a while she would look up, see him staring, smile, and go on reading. He realized her hair was no longer flat ironed, but now it was back to the tight ringlets he was used to. The curls were tied in a ponytail at the nape of her neck. On top of the hair tie was a small coral bow with a pearl in the center.

Draco noticed how she seemed to get more and more beautiful every day he saw her. Was that part of falling in love? That even if she had dirt on her face and grime in her hair, although she didn't, she still looked like the most beautiful girl in the world?

He also noticed the coral studs in her ears, and the coral flats that matched. He smiled at the way she planned her outfits, and that most people would not notice, but he definitely did.

"Now put your books away. You may talk quietly for the rest of the hour." Snape drawled again.

Luna turned to Draco. He already had something to say, though. "Meet me on the second floor, third corridor. There's going to be a dark classroom. Make sure nobody's watching and come in. I'll be waiting for you." Draco said quietly, so no one would overhear.

"When?" Luna asked quietly.

"When's your free period?" He whispered.

"Third." She responded.

He smiled. "Mine too. I'll be waiting for you, okay?"

"Alright."

"Meet you there, Lovegood."

During third period, Luna snuck down to the third floor and wandered over to the second corridor. After strolling around quietly, she found the dark classroom Draco was talking about.

She silently opened the door enough for her to fit through and let it _click _behind her.

"Luna?" Draco whispered from the far corner of the room.

"It's me." She said, louder.

"Come over here."

Luna let her eyes adjust to the darkness. When they had, she saw that Draco was in the corner, leaning his back to the wall, with an odd smirk on his face.

The classroom was abandoned. There were no chairs, desks, or anything on the walls. They were blank, and there were no filing cabinets on the walls, like in all the other classrooms.

Luna trotted over to where Draco was sitting, and sat with her hips touching his. He grabbed her hand and touched it to his lips; softly giving it a peck, and laying it carefully back on her lap.

"Luna Lovegood, I need to say something to you."

"What is it Draco? You can tell me anything." Luna responded.

"You look beautiful." He started. "And since I laid eyes on you, I've had feelings for you."

A tear slid from Luna's eyes. "You see, you can tell me that. I've loved you since last year."

The room got silent as Draco stared in awe. "You love me, Luna?"

She smiled. "Well, yes. But that doesn't mean you have to say it back, I mean, I was just telling you that as a statement, I was just telling you that-"

"I love you too." Draco interrupted her, and her mouth closed shut for a second.

"But I'm not like that Pansy girl. I don't look like her or talk like her and I'm not aggressive like her and…"

Draco put his index finger to her lip softly. "That's a good thing, Luna. I never loved her, and I never will. You don't look like her because you're beautiful. You don't talk like her because you're classy. You're not aggressive like her cause you're soft, and not pushy. And you have not pushed me," he cleared his throat. "You have not pushed me into bed yet."

Luna gasped. "You and Pansy…"

Draco nodded. "It didn't mean anything though. She was very aggressive, and forceful, and to be honest, she kind of scared me a little."

Luna laughed. "I don't scare you, do I?"

"No. You're soft and sweet. Like an adorable kitten. And you're cuter than her." He stroked her hair as he said it, and she giggled.

"You really love me?" she asked him, seriously now.

"Of course," he whispered, stroking her hair.

"Kiss me," she said quietly.

"Luna, I don't know if you and I are ready for that yet. This is all going too fast, you and I, I mean. We've already said that we love each other, and I just met you. I think we should hold back for a while, just a little while, and we can get to know each other a little better before we do things we're going to regret." Draco replied sadly, although all he wanted at that moment was to kiss her with all his force.

"I know that we are ready for this. Draco, I've wanted to kiss you since the beginning of last year. And now you like me, too. This is the time. Sometimes you have to have some insane courage, just a little bit, and your whole life could change. Don't you want that, Draco?"

"I don't understand how you could want me. My parents are Death Eaters; my aunt would kill herself if Voldemort asked her to. And your family, they're good, pure people. On Dumbledore's side." Draco said.

"That doesn't matter. We all make mistakes, including your parents. They switched to Voldemort's side, and they would be murdered if they switched back."

"Luna, you don't understand. It's not just about mistakes. Yes, they made one. But my whole life was affected by that one mistake. When I grow up, I'll be a Death Eater, Luna. That or I die. Do you really wanna kiss a future Death Eater?" Draco asked, disgusted by himself, disgusted by his future.

"I won't kiss a future Death Eater. I'll kiss you. I know you know what's right and what's wrong. And I am confident that you will make the right choice. I know for a fact that you could be the future Dumbledore, or Fudge. Or you could make the same exact mistake as your parents, and you could be the future Voldemort. You know it's a mistake, so why make it?" Luna argued, and Draco had to admit, she had a pretty good argument.

"Luna, it's not that simple. I can't just make a choice. My parents never had a choice. Voldemort's slowly sucking me in, and all I want to do is fight it, with all my heart, but it's my future. Unless somehow we destroy Voldemort."

"I still want to kiss you, no matter what you say to me." Luna said with a smile.

"How did I know?" Draco chuckled.

"You're handsome, how could I resist?"

"Maybe tomorrow, Luna. It's a Saturday, we have the whole day to ourselves." Draco smiled.

Luna sighed and stood up. "We have to get to fourth period."

"Goodbye, Luna. It was nice talking to you."

"It was. Tomorrow, same place, same time?"

"How about eight o'clock, right after breakfast?"

"Sure."

And they left for fourth period.

Harry sat in the common room that night, with the same knot in his stomach, waiting for Ron to get there. He knew how angry he was this morning when he had walked in on Harry and Hermione kissing. Harry was nervous of what Ron would say to him. Was he still mad at Harry? Would he fight with him? Would he be mad at Hermione? Harry knew that Ron had a crush on Hermione since the end of fifth year. But so did Harry. So who said that Ron automatically got Hermione? Harry got a chance with her, so he took it. It was obvious Hermione had no feelings for Ron. So why should Harry not get her? If nobody else did, why couldn't he, because that's just a waste? And Harry was pretty sure Ron would prefer Hermione end up with himself to Viktor Krum. Everybody hated Viktor Krum.

Ron walked in, anger etched in every line on his face.

"Ron, listen, we need to talk." Harry said, jumping up from the couch.

Ron stared, but he did not say a word. He simply sat down at the far end of the couch, and Harry figured this meant he was listening.

"You know, I've liked Hermione for a long time-"

"Bull!" Ron said, jumping up from the couch. "You know I've liked Hermione a way longer time than you have! And what do I find when I walk into the common room? You and her snogging on the couch!"

"Ron, it just happened, I couldn't stop it. I didn't even have time to think about it. It just kind of happened. If I had had time to think, I would have stopped it, I promise you."

"I'm sure you would have, Harry."

"Believe me, Ron. We shouldn't have done what we did. But there's no erasing the past. I'm sorry. That's the only thing I can do to make it up to you. What else do you want from me, Ron?" Harry pleaded, as Ron crossed his arms over his chest, thinking of something Harry could do to make it up to him.

"Do you promise not to do it again?" Ron responded.

"Swear." Harry replied, although it would be hard to do.

"Fine, I forgive you."

Ron opened up his arms and Harry quickly hugged him and released.

"Should we go upstairs? I'm tired." Harry asked, yawning and stretching his arms above his head.

"Sure, mate." Ron responded with a yawn.

The boys climbed the stairs to their dormitory. They changed into their pajamas and tucked into bed.

**AN: I hope you guys aren't bored with this story! Keep reading, I promise it will get better! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I realize it was mostly fluff but the next chapter will have a lot of action, and some more Draco and Luna!**


	4. Chapter 4: Dancing to your Heartbeat

Chapter 4

"Do you remember what I told you yesterday?" Draco asked, grinning as Luna thought long and hard about it.

"No, just tell me what it is, Draco!" Luna said for the fifth time.

"You have to remember what it is, Luna," he taunted.

"You said that you wouldn't kiss me today but…"

Draco grinned again.

"That's what you were going to tell me?" she asked excitedly.

"Maybe," he said slyly, with a grin on his pale, pointed face.

Draco and Luna began a long conversation about all the teachers, which ones were the best, which ones were the worst. They began about the students, including, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ginny. The one that surprised Luna the most was Harry.

"Why do you hate Harry so much?" she asked, her voice like bells ringing off the walls.

"Attention hog, he is. Never belonged in the spotlight. Everything he does, he gets an award for. The Boy Who Lived, I'm really sick of him, Luna. He doesn't know what it's like to come from a family of evil and try to be good," he explained wryly, as Luna gazed into his eyes. These words came from Draco's heart, he really truly hated Harry Potter and everything he had ever done.

"But he's so kind and good, and he helps his friends out when they are in need," she said sadly, because the boy she loved hated one of her best friends.

"Kind and good?" he scoffed. "Have you seen the things he gets up to after hours?"

Luna looked curious, and she leaned closer and closer to Draco. "What does he do after hours?"

Draco ran over all the bad things Harry had done. "One time he used his Cloak of Invisibility to sneak off to Hogsmeade. Even threw mud at me."

Luna laughed. "Harry's very funny, isn't he?"

"I didn't think it was funny when it happened. Got mud all over me; even got me in trouble with Snape for making a mess. I've made my peace with it, though." Draco said, brushing a strand of white blonde hair out of Luna's eyes; he tucked it behind her ear and cupped her cheek.

She was smiling this huge smile that brightened her features, even her electric blue eyes seemed brighter, and were full of life. He stroked her cheek gently, and the other hand rested in her curly blonde hair.

"Draco," she said softly, grabbing his hand and squeezing it tight.

"What, baby?" he asked, staring into those eyes that sent fire through his veins.

"It feels like it's too soon to say this, but I love you." Luna whispered, leaning her forehead on his, so their lips were inches apart.

Draco held both her hands in his, feeling the soft skin of her palms on his fingertips.

A tear slid down Luna's cheek as she waited for his reply. Draco lifted both their hands, linked together, and wiped the tear off her cheek.

"I love you."

A moment of silence passed between the two. Draco knew what was supposed to happen right then; he was supposed to kiss her. He felt his lips burning, and hers edging closer, but he did not lean. Their hands, locked together were held up in the air, elbows bent. Their lips were so close; he could smell the cherry lip-gloss she wore. Luna stretched her top lip out, until it brushed his. She waited for him to respond by leaning closer but it did not happen. All he wanted was to kiss her roughly, and hold her face in his hands but something held him back. They held this position for a long time, but it was not uncomfortable. It was actually sweet and passionate. His eyes closed, and his imagination flared into huge waves of happiness that filled his mind with joy.

Luna sighed and pulled her face away from his, another tear running down her cheek. "You never wanted to kiss me, did you? Was this all some kind of sick joke?"

"No, Luna. I want to wait. I don't want to rush this and then find out that you don't really love me, and that this was all some kind of game you're playing." He whispered, stroking the back of her head.

"I wouldn't play a game, Draco. I just thought you wanted to kiss me, like I want to kiss you, so bad I don't know," she took a deep breath. "I don't know if I can hold it in."

"I want to kiss you more than anything in the whole wide world. Luna, I just feel like I want to let Him play the cards, and I think we should wait a little while," he whispered lightly, smiling a half smile.

"We should leave, Draco. I'm not mad at you, by the way. If you want to wait, that is perfectly fine. It's what makes you happy that makes me happy." Luna said, smiling as Draco grabbed her hand and pulled her up from the ground and keeping it at his side as they walked toward the door.

Draco grabbed his wand from his pocket and said a spell in his mind, unlocking the door he had locked earlier in the morning. He turned to Luna, smiling as he pocketed his wand, and opened up the door. They walked out of the empty classroom together, their arms swinging at their sides.

As they reached the first corridor, Luna pointed at a flyer on a white column in the center of the hallway. They walked closer to it, and Draco read it aloud. The sign read:

Attention all students,

On Friday night of our second week of the term will be a ball for

all students. The ball is formal, at eight o' clock. Also, we will be visiting Hogsmeade

on Thursday, and all classes will be cancelled for this visit.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Headmaster,

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

"Wow," Luna said, but inside she was screaming.

"Yeah. I have nothing to wear," Draco replied sarcastically.

"We go to Hogsmeade the day before; we can go shopping for clothes then," Luna said, worrying about one thing.

"I guess," Draco said, staring at the wall, not wanting to show Luna how sick he felt in his stomach.

"What's wrong, Draco?" Luna asked, placing a comforting hand on his back. But then a realization swept over her, and she removed the hand from his back. "You don't want to go with me, do you? Would that embarrass you in front of all your friends?"

"Luna," he said softly, grabbing her hand. "Imagine how all your friends would react if they found out about me. Think about Potter, and Granger, and Weasley. Think about what they would say. Would they still be your friend if they knew about us?"

"Maybe they would. Maybe they wouldn't. But that doesn't matter, because I love you. You're what matters to me. Because they might come and go, and they will get mad at me. It doesn't matter what they think. It matters what you think, baby," Luna said, cupping his cheek.

"I think we should wait till we're pretty serious to tell your friends," Draco said, removing her hand from his cheek.

"Since when do you care about my friends?" she asked, turning away from him.

"Listen. I'm sorry about what I said. My friends, well the people my parents told me to hang out with, they're very particular about these kinds of things," he told her gently.

"You know what? I'm wizard-born, I passed your stupid test, or do I need to be a Slytherin for you to love me? Was that a lie, what you said back there?"

"None of it was a lie, Luna. I'll go to the ball with you; I'll do whatever you want. Just please don't be mad at me," Draco pleaded, realizing he had overstepped his boundaries.

"I don't want to be your pity date," she said, storming away.

"No," Draco said, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards him. "You're not my pity date. I love you, Luna Lovegood, all of you, everyday of our lives."

He grabbed her forearms and pulled her closer to him, and did what he should have done earlier. He touched his lips to hers, gently at first, but with rising intensity, and their faces smashed together, and her arms encircled his neck, as if they were dancing at the ball, and his hands wrapped around her waist, his fingers locking together so hard his knuckles turned white.

Their heads moved together, their lips opening and closing together, both of her lips trapping his bottom one. It was even better than what Draco had imagined back in the empty classroom. He grabbed her waist and crushed her closer to him, his head moving to the left as hers moved to the right.

Luna closed her lips and backed away slowly, leaning her forehead on his. He smiled brightly, watching as happiness lit up Luna's flawless features.

"Will you go to the ball with me?" Draco asked her, stroking Luna's white blonde ringlets that cascaded down her back.

"Of course," she whispered, grinning.

"I love you so much," he said softly.

"I love you."

They grabbed hands and began walking down the hall, hands swinging at their sides.

"Draco," she said gently.

"What is it, love?"

"I can't," she cleared her throat. "I can't go to the ball."

"Why not?"

"I don't have anything to wear," she said shamefully, hanging her head.

"We're going to Hogsmeade the day before. You can buy a ball gown there. They have a dress shop there," he told her reassuringly.

"I know that, Draco. Ball gowns cost a lot of money and I've been saving up and I don't want to use all my money on a dress I can only wear once," she said quietly, not wanting him to know how little money her family had.

Draco laughed. "Don't worry about the dress. I'll buy it for you."

"No, don't spend your money on me," Luna said, another tear sliding down her cheek.

"That's one good thing about my family, Luna, we have money," he said, laughing as he wiped the tear from her cheek.

"Are you sure? They're expensive."

"Positive."

She squeezed his hand to show her appreciation. He laid a kiss on her cheek as they walked, and they parted on the main staircase, going back to their own common rooms.

Hermione and Ginny sat in the Gryffindor common room, discussing the coming ball. Ginny was excited to go shopping for her dress; Hermione was wondering if Harry would ask her to it. It seemed like a lot to ask for; she did break his heart. She wondered if Ron would ask her. If he did, she wondered what she would say. She only thought of Ron as a friend, nothing more.

"I can't wait!" Ginny squealed.

"Me neither," Hermione said, noticeably less excited than Hermione.

"What's wrong, Hermione? Aren't you excited?"

"Uh, yeah," she responded.

"You'll perk up, I promise you."

**Thursday**

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna sat at the Three Broomsticks, enjoying a butterbeer. Today was a bitingly cold day, surprising for their second week of school. It had been such a long week for the girls, yet it passed by in a second for the boys.

Luna was dressed in a winter coat and thick leggings with Ugg boots. The leggings were tribal print black and white with a loose gray sweatshirt and an infinity scarf. The scarf was printed chevron. Hermione had picked out Luna's outfit; she said it made her look modern and chic. On top of the sweatshirt Luna wore a light brown leather jacket. Nobody knew this but the jacket was Draco's.

The girls stood up and said goodbye to the boys; they were going to the Little Hog's Dress Shop across the street. The boys would go to the rental tux shop.

Hermione, Ginny, and Luna left the Three Broomsticks and crossed the street and entered the little shop. It was mostly empty; the girls had gone early to beat the crowd.

Hermione was the first one to try on dresses. They sat outside the dressing room as she tried on a burgundy silk dress.

She walked out of the changing room in the dress. It had spaghetti straps and a flowery corset.

"Hmm…" Ginny said as Hermione spun around. She looked in the mirror and pursed her lips.

"It makes me look so flat-chested," Hermione said.

"I agree. It sits so awkwardly on you," Ginny agreed.

"And the color is absolutely hideous," Luna said, and both of the other girls laughed.

Hermione tried on the next one. It was a buttercup yellow ball gown; similar to the one Belle wore in Beauty and the Beast.

"I think it's too attention- grabbing. I don't want the spotlight on me," Hermione said.

She tried on two other dresses before she settled on a fire truck red cotton dress, and the front of the dress ended below the knee and the back of the dress ended at the ankles. It had straps that tied around the neck and revealed more cleavage than Luna would feel comfortable wearing.

Next was Ginny. She grabbed several dresses from the shelves and first she tried on a dark purple dress. It was a thick-strapped dress with a teardrop shaped slit right above the cleavage, revealing a sliver of pale white skin. Ginny fell in love with the dress immediately.

And then it was Luna's turn. Excitedly she grabbed several dresses from the shelves as more girls from Hogwarts started filing in.

The first one she tried on was similar to Hermione's but mint green instead. She was uncomfortable wearing the dress, as she felt Hermione wore it better than she herself did. She threw the dress back over the top of the dressing room door.

The next one she tried on was light pink and reached the floor. It had short sleeves, and over the top of the dress was a layer of sheer bubblegum pink lace.

As she showed it to Hermione and Ginny, she turned around in a circle several times.

"I love it, Luna," Ginny said, examining the front of the gown.

"Me too. It's gorgeous," Hermione added, smiling widely.

"I like it, too," Luna said, staring at herself in the mirror.

"Do you like it or do you love it?" Ginny asked her.

"I like it," Luna said, pulling the dress as if to do a curtsy. "A lot."

"Honey, if you don't love it, keep trying on," Hermione said sweetly, understanding how hard it is to pick a dress.

"I guess I will keep trying on," Luna said, walking back into the changing room.

Hermione and Ginny exchanged worried glances, realizing how long it would take to pick out a dress for her. But they stood up and grabbed several gowns from the shelves and threw them over the top of the dressing room door, taking back the gowns Luna had rejected.

After a long time of rejecting the dresses, Luna herself pulled on a light pink silk robe and tied it around the waist with a big sloppy bow.

She circled around the little shop, peering at the dresses on the rack. She picked up a dress and grinned at how beautiful it was, although she was sure it would not look pretty on her.

She skipped back to the stall and locked the door. She let the robe fall to the floor and pulled on a teal strapless bra. Next Luna pulled the dress over her head and stared at herself in the mirror in the stall, pulling the dress around until it sat in the perfect place on her body.

She slowly opened the stall door to see Hermione and Ginny sitting on the big cushion next to the door. Slowly she exited the changing room and watched as Hermione and Ginny's mouths dropped open in awe.

The dress was the best gown she had ever seen. It was strapless with a flat neckline. The gown showed the perfect amount of cleavage. The dress was emerald green and the corset at the top was beaded with several emerald jewels that were less than the size of a grain of rice. The bottom flared out like a giant princess dress with several layers of chiffon and waves of gossamer fabric.

She felt beautiful for once, which was something that did not happen to Luna often. The dress made her feel exactly like a princess.

"Is this the dress?" Ginny asked excitedly.

"This is the one," Luna squealed.

"I'm so happy for you, Luna!" Hermione squeaked, grabbing her own dress with the clear plastic bag that protected the gown from rips and tears.

Luna took off the dress and put her tribal print leggings, gray sweatshirt, Ugg boots, and Draco's leather jacket back on and she slipped her dress into the clear plastic bag.

Ginny and Hermione were waiting, holding their dresses, ready to check out. They walked together towards the cash register and individually paid for their dresses, Hermione first, and then Ginny. Luna saw the sneaky transfer of money from Hermione to Ginny, as if they didn't want Luna to know that Ginny was not wealthy.

When Ginny was done paying, Luna set her dress on the counter and the bored-looking cashier scanned it and turned to her.

"Forty Galleons, please," the cashier said, holding her palm out. Luna looked at her nametag; her name was Hannah.

Forty Galleons was a lot for a dress. Hermione's and Ginny's were both thirty Galleons, and Luna felt awful for buying such an expensive dress.

She opened up her moneybag and handed over forty Galleons to the cashier, and Hannah slipped it into the cash register and then bagged the dress up.

Luna looked back down at the bag. Sixty of Draco's Galleons remained; he had given her one hundred just to be safe. He was right next door, picking out a tux. She knew he would pick the perfect one, and he knew she would pick out the perfect ball gown.

"Ma'am," the cashier, Hannah, said impatiently, holding the bag containing Luna's dress. "Ma'am!"

"I'm sorry," Luna said, coming out of her daydream. "Have a nice day."

"You too," Hannah said, turning around to fix the gowns on a rack.

The girls walked out of Little Hog's Dress Shop, holding their purchases. The boys had agreed to meet back up with Luna, Hermione, and Ginny at The Three Broomsticks.

The girls sat down and ordered another butterbeer. Luna drank her tankard, nervous about tomorrow. She didn't know what her friends would say about her new boyfriend, and she was scared that she would not have friends any longer. She had said that Draco was all that mattered to her, but she needed friends like Hermione and Ginny to help her through stuff like picking out dresses, helping her get ready.

She nervously sipped her butterbeer as the door to The Three Broomsticks opened, jingling the bells above it. In sauntered Harry, Ron, and Neville, each holding a plastic bag.

They sat down at the table with the girls and they each stared at the boys.

"So what took you fellas so long?" Hermione asked, curiously sipping her butterbeer.

Ginny giggled, but tried to cover it up by also taking a drink of hers.

"Neville found a tux he liked, but he couldn't find it in the right size," Harry explained as Madam Rosmerta trotted to the table. "Three more butterbeers, please."

Neville blushed and looked down at the counter, as if this was embarrassing.

When their butterbeers arrived, they each took a big gulp, feeling the vanilla and butterscotch flavor flow down their throat.

"Did you find pretty little pink dresses with lots of bows?" Ron asked in a girly voice, much to the crowd's amusement.

"No, actually. You'll have to see what they look like at the ball," Ginny responded, a giggle in her voice as she spoke the words. "By the way, I'm going with Dean Thomas."

The table dropped their jaws, staring at Ginny.

"What, he asked me and how could I say no? Besides Harry wanted to go with… Never mind," he said, and everybody was silenced. They knew of the tension between Harry and Ron about who got Hermione.

"Who were you going to ask to the ball, Harry?" Ron asked, fighting to keep his voice calm and collected.

"Uh, nobody, Ron," Harry responded, gulping the rest of his butterbeer to fight the knot in his stomach.

"You're asking Hermione, aren't you?" he asked calmly, clenching the handle of the tankard of butterbeer so hard his knuckles turned white.

"Ron, listen, you don't understand-"

"I understand damn well enough, Harry! You're asking the girl I love to the ball, just to get me back for something I never did. Well fine, you know somebody already asked me, and I'll say yes, you right foul git," Ron shouted, slamming his butterbeer down on the table so hard the glass shattered into a million pieces and the remaining drink spilled all over the table.

Ron stormed out, knowing the butterbeer would be cleaned with magic.

Hermione began scraping the pieces together with her hands, and she released a loud yelp, holding up her bloody palm in the air, tears pouring down her cheeks.

Harry grabbed his wand from his robes, waving it in his hand and the pieces of broken glass began molding back together, and the butterbeer spilled on the table slopped back into the glass, splashing as it entered.

Next Harry grabbed Hermione's arm and bundled it close to his chest. "Madam Rosmerta!" he called. "She needs help!"

Madam Rosmerta ran from the backroom to their table, her teal sparkly heels _clacking_ as she darted. She removed her wand from her robes and examined the large gash on Hermione's palm.

"Oh, I can heal this right up," she said, moving her head around to examine it at different angles.

Rosmerta waved her wand in a semi-circle and a lightning bolt of yellow flew from the tip, and hit Hermione's hand, and Harry watched as the blood that oozed all over her hand disappeared, and the gash moved together, as if magnets, and was stitched together. Rosmerta dropped her hand, pocketed her wand, and smiled widely at Hermione.

"Thank you, Madam Rosmerta," she said, beaming back at Rosmerta.

**Friday**

Luna was sitting in her dorm room at five, studying History of Magic, which she found incredibly boring. Today had been an amazing day, and the ball was in three hours. She had spent her free period with Draco in the empty classroom, and he had kissed her again, before he sent her back to go get ready for the ball. As she sat up, closing her textbook with a loud slam.

As she looked up, she heard a furious rapping on the common room door. Luna jumped up from the bed and ran down the stairs, moving her feet like a dance. She expected Draco when she opened the door, but she was surprised by what she saw.

"Hermione, Ginny, what are you doing here?" Luna asked, letting them into the common room.

"We're getting you ready. Go hop in the shower. Wash your hair, too." Hermione ordered, pointing up the staircase.

"If you say so." Luna said, dancing back up the stairs and grabbing a silk robe, a washcloth, and a big fluffy towel. She set these things down on the counter and stripped off her clothes gently, laying them on the floor in the bathroom.

She hopped into the shower, grabbing a bottle of coconut conditioner and strawberry shampoo, an expensive purple razor, and a bar of Dove soap out of the cabinet.

She let the hot water pour over her body, and the first thing she did was run the bar of soap over her whole body and rinsed, feeling cleaner already. Next she ran the soap back over her legs and grabbed the purple razor and shaved her legs so they were smooth and clean. Next she shaved her armpits and rinsed the razor off, putting it back on the seat in the shower.

The next thing she did was grabbed the strawberry shampoo, poured a heaping amount into the palm of her hand and lathered it into her hair. As she let it sit to clean out her hair, she wet her washcloth and poured some face wash into it, scrubbing her face and neck until her pores were clean.

Then she rinsed the shampoo out of her hair and repeated the process with the same amount of shampoo. Then she rinsed and used conditioner, let it sit for three minutes, and washed it out of her hair.

She turned the hot water off and stepped out, drying her body and hair with the fluffy tow. She dried every drop off her body and most of it off her hair. She slipped the silk robe over her shoulders, tied it around her waist in a sloppy bow, wrapped the towel around her hair till it sat on top, grabbed her old clothes and stepped back into the dormitory, where the other Ravenclaws were getting ready.

Hermione and Ginny had prepared a spinning chair in front of a mirror with light bulbs framing the perimeter, which was given to each of the girls in the dormitory.

Luna sat down on the chair and they spun the seat away from the mirror, so she faced the girls getting ready. The other two took the towel off her head, plugged in the blow dryer, and began drying out Luna's hair, and they watched as it frizzed up. Once it was completely dry they poured a hair product into their hands and calmed down the wild tangles. They brushed it out and unplugged the blow dryer, instead plugging in the small curling rod. As Hermione began curling tight loops in Luna's hair, Ginny set to work on her makeup.

The first thing Ginny did was rub a primer into her skin. Then she chose a light foundation to match Luna's pale skin. Once her skin was flawless and perfect, she grabbed a puff and began buffing a translucent powder on top of the foundation. Then Ginny began contouring Luna's skin, first by adding blush to her cheeks with a big, fluffy brush, and then bronzer below the blush, in the temples, below the jaw line, down the sides of her nose, and right below her bottom lip. Next she used highlight down the top of Luna's nose, above the blush, in the Cupid's bow on her top lip, and her forehead and chin.

After Luna was contoured, Ginny began the eyes. The first thing she did was put a light, sparkling pink on her eyelids, and a white stripe above the pink. It was a ballerina pink, and it brought out the light, ice blue of Luna's eyes. Next Ginny took out the liquid eyeliner and did a large cat eye on both Luna's eyes. Right after that, she grabbed the black eye kohl, and stuck it on the waterline, right up to the lashes. Next Ginny grabbed thick fake lashes from a case and glued them to Luna's lash line. She added mascara on top of the lashes to blend them to her eyelashes. The last thing she did to Luna's eyes was blend out her eyeshadow so it wasn't such a thick line between the ballerina pink and the snowy white. Then she added more snowy white to the inner corners of her eyes, making them pop.

Ginny combed out her eyebrows, added eyebrow pencil to make them darker and more visible, then she plucked out the unwanted eyebrow hairs.

And lastly, Ginny added hot pink lip liner to her lips, and then bright red creamy lipstick on top.

Hermione finished with the curls as Ginny applied the lipstick. She hair sprayed the ringlets, and the last thing she did was pour a quarter of a bottle of silver glitter in her hair, and then she spun the chair toward the mirror, revealing Luna's appearance.

"Don't look yet, we have to put your dress on first!" Ginny squealed, shoving the plastic bag containing Luna's dress and pushed her into the bathroom.

She slipped the dress over her head, straightened it until it sat perfectly on her body, and she stepped out of the bathroom.

The girls gasped, but set to work. Ginny grabbed strappy black heels that rose four inches above the ground. Hermione painted Luna's toenails a hot pink color, admiring her perfect work. Luna put on the heels as Hermione slipped black gloves over Luna's translucent arms. Ginny put white gold and diamond hoops into Luna's ears and a diamond necklace around Luna's neck. Then as one of them sprayed her with flowery-scented perfume, another poured the rest of the bottle of silver glitter on Luna's body.

"So do you have a date?" Ginny asked curiously as Luna spun around in a circle.

"Is it Neville?" Hermione added, grabbing Luna's hand and leading her to the full-length mirror.

Luna gasped at the sight. She was more beautiful then she had ever been before. She spun around. The dress was perfect, her hair was perfect, her makeup was perfect, and she was perfect. Her hair, which was curled into tight white blonde loops, parted to one side. Her makeup made her look like a model.

"Yes, and no." Luna said quietly, looking at the backside of the dress.

"Who is it, then?" Ginny asked.

"Surprise." Luna laughed as she spoke.

Hermione and Ginny exchanged worried glances, but sighed and walked to the door in the dormitory.

"We have our makeup and hair done. But we have to go put our dresses on so we'll see you and your date at the ball!" Hermione said, opening up the door and letting Ginny through.

"Thank you guys for everything." Luna called.

1 Hour Later

The whole of Hogwarts waited behind the grand doors of the Great Hall, and Luna searched for Draco, and she could not find him. It was eight o'clock, the exact starting time of the ball.

The grand doors swung open, and the crowd starting filing in to the Great Hall, and Luna made her way into the huge room. She still did not see her boyfriend, but she did notice how nicely the room was decorated.

The first thing she noticed was how dimly the room was lit, and huge glass chandeliers hung low over the student's head. To light up the room there were candles on every table, and they smelled mostly of vanilla but slightly of cinnamon. The crystals hanging from the chandeliers caught the brilliant blaze that was luminated from the candles, and provided a small light in the darkly lit room. The House tables had been removed from the room, and instead there were hundreds of smaller tables that held about ten people each, and each one had a lace doily tablecloth, and a glass vase that held two single red roses. The chairs had a white padded cushion, and the bars on the back of the seat were black, tied with sky blue bows. There was a huge, long table that stretched the length of the Great Hall and was only a few feet wide, pushed to the back wall. On this long table was the food for dinner, since they had not yet eaten their last meal of the day yet.

The Great Hall was a perfect square with four walls, and the wall with the double doors was decorated with red and gold for the Gryffindor House. The wall opposite of the Gryffindor wall was embellished with green and silver for Slytherin, and one of the walls closest to him was bronze and sky blue for Ravenclaw, and the wall opposite of that was adorned with yellow and black for Hufflepuff.

Luna looked around, and saw all the people with their dates, and she was wondering where Draco was. Harry was going with Hermione, and Ron was going with Lavender Brown. Ginny was going with Dean Thomas, and Neville had decided to go with Hannah Abbott. Crabbe was going with Pansy Parkinson, Goyle with Millicent Bulstrode. Justin Finch-Fletchey was going with Susan Bones. Ernie Macmillan with Padma Patil. Fred Weasley with Angelina Johnson and George Weasley with Alicia Spinnet. Lee Jordan with Katie Bell. Zacharias Smith with Marietta Edgecombe. Cho Chang with Michael Corner. Anthony Goldstein with Parvati Patil. Terry Boot with Romilda Vane.

Then she saw a sight she had been waiting for all night. Draco Malfoy was standing in front of her, wearing black dress pants, a white button-up shirt, a black bow on his neck, and a black jacket over this. On his feet were black dress shoes.

"Oh my God," Draco whispered. "You look so beautiful."

"Thank you." She replied, stepping towards her date and grabbing his hand through her black silk gloves.

Hermione stormed up. "This jerk is your date, Luna?"

"Yes, Hermione. I love him." Luna responded calmly, clenching Draco's hand harder.

"I can't believe it, Luna. I thought you were our friend." She whispered.

"Can we argue about this later? I want to dance with my boyfriend."

"Fine." Hermione said, walking away.

"Luna, I'm sorry about Granger.." Draco said, cupping her cheek. "You look more beautiful than possible. Would you like to dance?"

"Of course." Luna said sadly, as Draco pulled her closer to him, so she stepped on his feet and lay one hand on Draco's back and one hand stretched out.

Luna realized the soft melody that was playing through the speakers in the room. It was a lullaby on a piano, and it brought Draco and Luna's bodies closer and closer, and he spun them around in soft circles, moving their feet in a pattern that matched the beat of the song. She felt his hand on her neck, and she felt the electricity on the back of her body. Everywhere he touched seemed to be on fire, as if his hands were sparks.

As they spun, they met up with Crabbe and Pansy dancing awkwardly in an ellipse shape. Pansy scoffed and shoved her body onto Crabbe's as if to make Draco jealous.

"Hey, Looney." Pansy said, snorting and spinning away with her date.

Draco looked Luna right in the eyes, spinning her in a large circle around Terry Boot and Romilda Vane, who looked as if they had gone as friends, and found it extremely embarrassing to dance together as a couple.

"Baby, don't listen to them. You're the best thing that ever happened to me. Don't you forget it." He spun her in a quick, tight circle, making her smile brightly.

From Draco's eyes, Luna was the most beautiful girl that would ever live. He saw those same electric blue eyes, but the jolt that pierced his stomach was stronger than he had ever felt. The sparkles covered the surface of Luna's skin caught the brilliant light of the blazing candles, and made her seem like the brightest object in the room, and everything else was just a blur in the background. Her hair, instead of the frizzy ringlets, were tight loops pushed to one side of her shoulder. The dress suited Luna's body perfectly, accentuating the parts that she would not usually show to the rest of the student body. She was almost as tall as Draco with her heels on, and the top of her head reached his eyebrows. Her face was absolutely flawless, a model face, but more beautiful. He could not seem to look away from her eyes.

"Can I just say, you are the most beautiful, stunning, gorgeous girl in the entire world?" He asked as he twirled her.

"Of course, but you know you don't mean it, right?" Luna asked him, and his eyes flew open wide, knowing how wrong this statement was.

He grabbed her by the waist, and let her body curve downward in an arc as he dipped her down low, letting her hair touch the ground. He kissed her neck gently, laying small imprints on her body. The crystal chandelier dangled overhead, casting brilliant lights over Luna as he looked in her eyes.

"I mean it," he whispered, and she giggled, still in an arc above the ground.

"I love you, Draco," she replied quietly as he raised her back up. "And don't you forget it."

"I'll love you to the moon and back." He responded, grinning, knowing he won. "I don't care what all those people say. You're mine forever."

"I just wish that was possible." She murmured, looking down at her feet.

"What do you mean it's not possible? I will make it happen, Luna." Draco soothed her.

They danced in a graceful circle, twirling around smoothly. Draco had learned to dance from his mother, and he realized Luna was a much better dancer than his mother ever had been. He wondered if she had learned from Xenophilius, or if it was something that came naturally for her.

"One of us will fall in love with somebody else, or we'll get in a fight and break up, or you'll get tired of me. It's an unavoidable fate, like a Quaffle coming straight at your face, Draco. And I'll try to make it happen but I know someday you and me will be over." She replied sadly, loosening the grip on his hand slightly, but still holding on. Luna wondered if he could feel the sweat on her hands through the black silk gloves, and suddenly she was glad she wore them.

"I'm going to make this happen. For you and me. You're my girl, and the only one there will ever be. And if we get in a fight, I know we can resolve it, cause two people who are perfect for each other can never stay mad at one another. And I will never, ever, ever, get tired of you, Luna. You're the most interesting, fun loving, beautiful, confident, sexy woman I ever met."

"Promise me?" she whispered, arms wrapped around his neck.

"Swear."

"Okay." She whispered as the song changed to a soft woman's voice, singing a quiet, gentle love song.

Luna wrapped both her arms around Draco's neck, and he wrapped both his hands around her waist. They leaned their foreheads against each others, whispering to one another.

"Hermione doesn't like you." She said quietly, looking up through her thick, fake lashes.

"I know. Granger's never liked me." he responded, staring at the beauty that was his girlfriend Luna.

"She thinks you're using me," Luna replied sadly.

"Using you for what?"

"She thinks… well… uh, you see…" Luna tried, but she could not force that one little word out.

"Ahh. Of course not. We haven't even… well, you know, yet. I mean, we could but…" Draco said awkwardly, raising a single eyebrow. He looked so handsome Luna could barely resist from kissing him roughly.

Luna laughed. "Someday. Maybe tomorrow, maybe a year from now. We're unpredictable and… wild." She growled.

"Hopefully the former," Draco said. "You know, you're sexy when you growl like that."

"Well then this must be irresistible." She said, purring like a kitten.

Draco cracked up, pulling his head away to laugh into the open air. When he had controlled his chuckling, he slowly leaned his head back toward Luna, resting it on her forehead.

"Are you thirsty?" he asked, and almost slapped himself in the face. "I mean, do you want some punch?"

Luna did not understand, thankfully, but she nodded. "Yes, please."

"Alright. I'll go get that for you." He laid a kiss on her forehead. "I'll be right back."

He dropped his hands from her waist and strutted all the way to the back of the Great Hall; they had been twirling around in the front of the room. As she sat alone, waiting for her date to get back, Seamus Finnigan made his way towards Luna.

"You look stunning tonight, Luna." Seamus said, tucking a strand of hair behind her hair.

"Thank you." Luna said awkwardly, grabbing his hand and dropping it back to his waist.

"What's wrong, sweetheart? You scared of a little… action?" Seamus asked, raising an eyebrow at her and smirking.

"No. Stop it. Get away from me." Luna said, pushing him away with all her force, but she was fragile and he only traveled backwards a few steps.

"Come on, baby. Your little boyfriend won't know."

"No. Stop it, Seamus!" Luna pleaded, backing up slowly.

"Get away from her." Said a strong, unwavering voice from behind Luna. Seamus looked up, and his eyes widened.

"You gonna make me, Malfoy?" he asked.

"I will. I'm gonna kick your ass if you don't get away from my girl right now. You damn well know how bad I could mess up that pretty little face of yours, Finnigan." He threatened, stepping towards Seamus, dangerously raising a fist.

"I'd like to see you try." Seamus threatened, raising his fists to fight with his own hands, not his wand like usual fights. Seamus ejected his arm forward with power, slamming Draco's gut forcefully, to which he flew backwards, his hands held over his gut.

Draco's knuckles turned white and sweaty; they were clenched into tight fists. Draco's fist connected with Seamus's jaw line, knocking his head backwards forcefully.

"Guys, stop! Please!" Luna cried.

The fighting continued, though, and Luna tried effortlessly to break it up, tears slipping down her face, but Neville had his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her away from the fight. She screamed and writhed against Neville's tight grip, but he did not release the girl against her demands.

When Seamus's fist smashed against Draco's eye, Luna released a high pitch scream at the top of her lungs and tried with feeble attempts to escape from Neville's tight embrace.

This scream alerted the professors over to break up the fight. Snape grabbed Draco by the back of his tux jacket and pulled him away from the conflict. McGonagall did the same for Seamus.

"As entertaining as that was," Snape drawled. "I would like to see both of you. In my office. Now."

"Professor-" Luna started, but she was cut off.

"Miss Lovegood, stay here please. Your date will be back soon." McGonagall said briskly, as Snape turned around and led Draco, Seamus, and McGonagall out of the Great Hall.

Draco turned around quickly. "I love you, Luna. I'll be back soon, baby."

"I love you." Luna said tearfully and intensely; for the tears still poured out of her eyes.

"Don't cry, sunshine." He said quietly, before he walked off, Snape glaring at him tautly.

Hermione walked up to Luna, wrapping her arms around her for a quick embrace. "Come on, honey, let's clean you up in the bathroom."

She did not mention Draco. Or what she had said earlier. She just led Luna to the bathroom and sat her down on the sink counter. Hermione pulled a wipe from the paper towel dispenser and began clearing the bottom of Luna's eyes, getting rid of the black that had transferred with her tears. She wiped skillfully, making sire not to rid the upper eyelid, so that her cat eye stayed locked on her eyelid.

When she finished Luna jumped off the counter and once again Hermione wrapped her arms around Luna's petite figure. "I'm so sorry, Luna. I was so wrong. He cares about you."

Luna felt a drip on her shoulder, knowing that Hermione was crying. "It's okay."

Hermione sniffed and pulled away, holding Luna by her shoulders. "You look beautiful. I mean- you and him did. At first I just thought he was taking advantage of you, Luna. I was trying to protect you. I guess I didn't do a very good job, did I?"

Luna sniffed, also. "No, not really."

Hermione laughed. "I'm sorry. Draco really, really cares about you."

"I care about him. The way you care about Harry." Luna said, smiling wisely at Hermione.

She gasped. "How did you know that?"

"I can tell by the way you look at him when you think no one's watching. And you always seem a little brighter and happier around Harry."

"Wow. I didn't think anybody noticed my feelings."

"I notice."

"I think we should go back out. Harry's probably waiting and I think Neville wants to talk to you."

Luna sighed, hugging Hermione and grabbing her hand to walk her out of the bathroom. Harry and Neville were waiting outside the door.

"Luna," Neville said, wrapping her in a hug, but he was not awkward, for once.

She looked over; Harry and Hermione were sharing a passionate kiss on their lips, and suddenly _Luna_ felt awkward instead of Neville.

"Will you dance with me?" he asked quietly in her ear.

"What about Hannah?"

"She didn't want to dance. She's sitting with Padma Patil." Neville said, looking back to see Hannah and Padma in a deep conversation, even making hand gestures. Ernie sat by Padma, looking very bored.

"As friends, right?" Luna asked, grabbing his hand and beginning to twirl in a circle with him.

"Of course. I know about you and Malfoy." Neville responded, somewhat halfheartedly.

"He has a first name, you know." Luna said, glaring at him. He did not respect the man she loved.

"I know. It's, uh, let me think. Draco, right?"

Luna giggled, but the smile wore off her pale face. "How much detention do you think he'll get?"

"I'm not sure, Luna. That's really not my expertise. I'm sorry." Neville apologized sincerely, twirling around Hermione and Harry, who were talking quietly as they danced.

"Probably not more than three Saturdays, right? Cause Saturdays I get to be with him, and they're my absolute favorite." Luna asked worriedly.

"I'm not sure, honest." He said, looking down into her eyes. "Do you wanna take a walk on the bridge with me?"

"Sure," Luna replied, grabbing his hand and nonchalantly walking together to the back door. They discreetly opened it, slipping out so no teachers would notice them.

They walked together down balconies until they reached the Covered Bridge. Luna's hand unlinked from his, so she could place both hands on the railing as she looked out at the Black Lake. It was so beautiful. She saw the reflection of the trees and the bridge in the black waters. The lake looked like a piece of glass; it was so smooth with no ripples or deeper spots. The air was a bitingly cold wind that entered through the slightly open windows. Her forehead was pressed against the glass, and her breath left a spot of fog where her mouth was.

"It's beautiful." Luna observed, not looking over at Neville to see his reply.

"No as beautiful as you." He replied, brushing a small strand of white blonde hair out of her electric blue eyes.

"Neville," she sighed.

"Luna, I know you're with Draco. I get it, okay? But did you ever consider me as an option? Did you ever realize that I've been here from the start, waiting for you to come into my arms?"

"Neville, I didn't know you were waiting for me. But it's Draco. It will always be Draco. Okay, I love him." She said, backing slowly from Neville.

"Always… Draco."

"Neville, you're one of my best friends. And I care for you. But not in the way I care for him. Do you understand that?" she asked, not glancing back at the windows to see the starry night.

"Screw that. I love you Luna." Neville said, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her closer to him, attacking her lips with his. He tried to move her lips with his, but she did not kiss back.

She ripped away from the kiss, raising her hand and slapping him across the face.

She heard a strange noise. A crumbling sound. It was coming from the direction farthest from Hogwarts. The bridge was cracking. But she didn't know where. Where did she run? Her feet were locked in place; she could not move them.

There was a sound of cracking and crumbling and splashes, and the surface of the lake was no longer smooth like glass, but now had ripples illuminating the surface from pieces of wood. She now saw the crack as more of the bridge crumbled off and made the gap wider and wider, and it got closer to Luna. She looked behind her. Neville was not behind her. He was running back to Hogwarts. But she could still not run. She did not have running shoes on and the crack was nearing her. She did not have time to take off her shoes, and she did not have time to run.

And she realized for the first time how precious time was. If she had a few more seconds she could be caught up with Neville by now, but he had left her and he was running back home.

Draco. She thought, watching the crack get closer and closer to her, only feet from where she stood. Tears once again poured down her cheeks as she let out a loud scream, knowing she was to die. All she wanted was to tell him goodbye.

She heard the pieces of bridge chipping off into the water, and the crack was on her feet, and she had fallen, smacking the ground on the bridge, the wood crumbling farther until she was hanging on to the edge with her hands, her feet hanging over the lake. Her palms were getting sweaty and her knuckles were white from holding on too tight.

She heard a huge, echoing splash, and she wondered if she had fallen, but she looked around and saw she was still holding on. She realized the whole other side of the Covered Bridge.

"Neville!" Luna screamed, doing all she could to save herself.

But loud, echoing footsteps sounded, running down the bridge. He grabbed the top of Luna's hands, but she did not see the mystery person because her eyes were closed tightly. He pulled her up as much as she could and her bare skin scraped against the sharp edge. She climbed the rest of the way up, but she had to hurry as the gap was still expanding. The man grabbed the small of her back with one hand and the underside of her knee, running as fast as he possibly could, more of the bridge breaking off as he tore through it, finally making it back into the Great Hall.

But Luna was unconscious. She had blacked out as they ran and he had to get her to Poppy Pomfrey.

So the mystery man tore up the staircases, still holding Luna like a china doll in his arms until he was in the infirmary and Madam Pomfrey pulled out a cot for her.

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy." Poppy said, pulling on latex gloves.

"You're welcome, Madam Pomfrey." Draco said.

"What happened to her?"

"Somebody blew up the Covered Bridge and Luna was on it with Neville Longbottom. He ran back to Hogwarts but she fell and she was hanging on and I grabbed her and ran." Draco explained, grabbing her hand that lay limply on the cot.

Madam Pomfrey gasped. "Does Dumbledore know about this?"

"I don't know." Draco stroked Luna's hair gently with his fingertips. "I'll stay here with Luna while you go tell him."

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy." Madam Pomfrey said, pulling off her latex gloves as she jogged out of the infirmary.

Draco sat on the end of the bed where her feet sat. Gently he unhooked her heels and laid them on the ground by her cot, hoping that would make her feel more comfortable when she awakened.

He carefully leant forward, his hands on either side of her waist, his knees on either side of her ankles, and he leant forward slowly, laying a kiss on her lips.

He sat back criss-crossed, watching her sleep.

And suddenly, her eyes flew open, and she sat up, gasping for air and coughing.

"Luna! Are you okay?" Draco asked, grabbing her hand.

"Oh my God! Oh the bridge, I have to tell Dumbledore. Oh Draco, where is he?" Luna cried.

"Luna, Luna, calm down. Sweetie it's okay, Madam Pomfrey is getting him and bringing him back." Draco comforted, pulling her head into his lap.

"The bridge. I think it was Death Eaters. I don't know what they want- probably Harry though." Luna said quietly, looking up at Draco through her thick lashes.

"Neville might look like Harry in the dark." Draco murmured, stroking her hair gently.

She looked up at him. "How did you know Neville was there?"

"I was the one who pulled you up." He answered modestly, smiling widely as she gasped.

"That was you?"

"Yes it was."

"Neville- he just ran away. He didn't try to help me. Oh God, he just left me there. You saved me. Oh I love you, Draco." Luna stuttered.

"Neville's cowardly, honey. He didn't realize you were in danger." He tried to say something good about the guy, but in reality he hated him.

He had seen him kiss her. He had been angry. Draco had blown up the bridge.


	5. Chapter 5: Take a Swim Through Your Soul

**Chapter 5**

Dumbledore sat on a cot next to Luna's, and she was now fully conscious, her head still resting on Draco's lap. Nobody knew yet that Draco was the one who blew up the bridge; and he fully intended to tell them… soon.

Dumbledore rested his old, wrinkling hand on top of Luna's young hand, his blue eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles.

"You don't have to be brave, Miss Lovegood. This has probably been a very traumatic experience for you." He said kindly, blue eyes on blue eyes.

"It's been so hard lately." Luna said, sitting up from Draco's lap. "Like with Draco, his parents, my dad, they don't like each other. And then Neville and all my friends and the bridge and I just can't take it anymore!"

"Miss Lovegood-" Dumbledore started, but he was cut off.

"No!" Luna cried, standing up from the cot, and backing up as she spoke. "God, I've been so strong and I just need to let this out, okay? It's just none of my friends like him, but I do. And his parents don't like me, I know that. And now Neville loves me and someone blew up the bridge, and I don't even know what to do anymore! You don't understand that, Professor!"

"Luna, calm down, please. Babe, I'm sorry-" Draco tried unsuccessfully to calm her.

"No!" she cried. "You don't understand!"

Luna ran out of the room, bare feet slapping against the ground. Draco stood up to chase after her, but Dumbledore placed an understanding hand on his shoulder. "I think she just needs some time."

"I just- I just feel like I'm putting too much on her plate right now. And the bridge didn't help." Draco said, looking down at his tux he had bought just for Luna.

"Luna Lovegood is a strong girl. She can handle these things. Just sometimes we break down and let all our feelings out, and we can be strong again. All she needs is some time to get all her feelings out." Dumbledore comforted him.

` "But she, I mean, with the bridge, she could have died. I've been too hard on her. She's been having it bad for a while and I've been rough on her, the bridge, and everybody hating her for dating me. I mean with everything that happens she gets the sucky end of the deal. It's not fair to her." Draco said, hanging his head in shame.

"She's a very strong girl. I can trust she'll make it through this." Dumbledore said, eyeing Draco suspiciously. "And now on to the unavoidable question. Draco, why did you blow up the bridge?"

He gasped. "How- how did you know?"

Dumbledore chuckled, looking at Draco kindly and understandingly. "I put together that Neville kissed Luna and then you came to save her. It's okay, probably just a loss of control."

"I feel like I ruined everything. I mean, I just got mad and I had my wand in my hand and then suddenly the bridge was crumbling and I had no idea what to do. So I just ran as fast as I could and I grabbed her and ran back." He explained.

"Draco, I'm not worried about the damage to the bridge. I'm worried that you are a powerful wizard who is very capable of extreme violence." Dumbledore said, blue eyes twinkling.

"I'm sorry." Draco said.

Dumbledore patted him on the shoulder, letting him know it was okay. "Go find her. Make sure she's okay."

Draco stood up from the cot wordlessly and strutted with his old style out of the infirmary and started to jog through the corridors back to the middle of the school. He ran for his life to catch her, and he finally did at the portrait hole back to the Ravenclaw common room.

"Luna!" he called, running up the marble stairway to catch her and grab her by the waist.

"Draco, I can't- I can't…" Luna said, tears pouring down her face.

"Come on, let's go into the common room and we can talk about it there." He said gently as she said the password: unicorns.

They walked into the common room and took in all the features; the sky blue walls, the large windows placed so you could see the black night with stars embedded into the layer of darkness, the bronze floors, and the white furniture. Soft white couches were placed all around the room with two recliners circling each one. On the ground near the couches were powdery white rugs with bronze coffee tables on top.

Luna ran upstairs to go change out of her ball gown. She came back downstairs in pink sweats, a white t-shirt, no shoes, makeup washed off and curly hair pulled into a frizzy ponytail.

He sat down at a recliner by the marble fireplace with an orangey-reddish fire blazing in its depths. Draco padded his lap, motioning for Luna to sit down. She did, right on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck, cushioning her head into the crook of his neck.

He placed his hand on the small of her back and let the tears fall down onto his tux. He realized he was still wearing it, and not comfy clothes like she was wearing. But he didn't get up to go down to the Slytherin dorms to change; he let Luna cry on his shoulder.

"You saved me," she whispered, a whine in her voice.

"I couldn't let you die."

"Neville just ran away. He didn't save me," she said, the tears still pouring.

"Shhh, it's okay. You're okay. We're okay. Neville's okay."

"I'm sorry I'm being a baby." She whispered, head still buried in his shoulder.

"No. You're not a baby. We all need to cry."

"When was the last time- when was the last time you cried?" she stuttered.

"A couple hours ago, when I saw you were about to fall." He said.

"Really?" Luna asked, pulling her head up off his shoulder to look into his gray eyes, filled with honesty, warmth, and love for Luna.

"Of course. My entire world was about to fall."

"Oh." She whispered.

"Go to bed, Luna. Sleep tight, and let all these bad memories fade away. You'll feel better after a good night's rest." He murmured, kissing her forehead. "I would carry you upstairs, but I'm not allowed up there."

"No, they don't trust boys. Especially Slytherin boys." She sniffled, standing up and smoothing out her shirt, and smiling down at Draco who still sat on the white recliner. "Sorry if I got makeup on your tux."

"Don't worry about it," he told her, grabbing her hand and squeezing it tight before letting it go.

"I love you. See you tomorrow?" she asked, heading to the stairwell.

"Definitely." He watched her head up the stairs. "I love you."

She disappeared up to her dorm and Draco walked out sadly, knowing his love was gone from him, if only for a while. He went down to the Slytherin dorms, pulled off his tux and slipped his nightclothes on. He went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth quickly and jumped into bed, pulling the silk sheets over him and closing his eyes, waiting for the world to go blank and so his painstaking thoughts would disappear just as Luna did up the stairs.

But they stayed with them, searing his mind like a whip laced with flames, slamming into his head. He had seen Longbottom kiss Luna. But did she kiss him back? What if she was in love with the nerd? If Luna left him, he had no idea what would become of him.

Draco had never had a summer as bad as the last one. Voldemort had been trying to pull Draco into the Death Eaters the whole time, but Narcissa convinced the Dark Lord to give him one last year that he didn't have to deal with the stress, the pain, and the power associated with officially becoming a member of Voldemort's fierce army. Draco still had the innocence he did when he was a little child, and the last of it had almost flowed out of him as he started the school year. Luna had grabbed onto this innocence and made her way into his heart. And she changed things about him that he never thought he could change. He felt like he had backed himself into a situation that was so permanent and infinite, and if he had the chance to start all over, he would take it in a heartbeat. Luna was that chance.

He drifted off to sleep peacefully, letting the dreams wash over him like the rising tide.

24 Hours Later

Draco knocked on the door of the Ravenclaw common room at ten o'clock the following evening, for he did not know the password. He was lucky that it was Padma Patil that swung the portrait open.

"Oh, it's you. I'll go get Luna." She said, turning around and running up the stairs.

"Thank you." Draco said.

Padma returned a couple minutes later, dragging a half-asleep Luna Lovegood down the stairs by the arm. "Here you go."

"Thank you." He repeated, grabbing Luna's hand and pulling her out of the Ravenclaw common room.

"Where are we going?" she asked drearily as Draco dragged her down the hallway.

"That reminds me. It's a surprise." He stopped in the middle of the corridor and pulled a blindfold out of the pocket of his robes and wrapping it around her eyes, tying it on the back of her head. He then proceeded until he reached the seventh floor left corridor and saw the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy attempting to teach trolls to do ballet.

Draco closed his eyes tightly and walked past the wall three times, and Luna remembered this from the D.A. A glow appeared on the wall opposing the tapestry. There appeared a red door, and Draco made a sound of success that escaped from his lips. He opened up the door and pulled Luna inside, gasping at the scenery surrounding him, although she could still not see it.

Draco stepped behind her and untied the blindfold, pocketing it in his robe. "Open."

Luna gazed around her at the sight. It was different than it had been last year at the D.A. meetings. The lights were completely shut off, and the room was lit entirely by white and lilac candles that circled around light brown stepping stones that did not match up like a puzzle piece. The candles filled the room with the scent of vanilla and lavender, and Luna inhaled the delicious odor. The stepping-stones made a large oval, and in the center of the stones was a swimming pool. The pool was an electric blue, even brighter than Luna's eyes. The water was like a smooth piece of glass, and she could see all the way down to the bottom, which she noted was very deep.

"Why did you take me to a swimming pool? I don't even have a swimsuit!" Luna said, turning around to look at Draco. He gazed down at the ground, looking at a bright red bikini that lied on the ground.

She rolled her eyes, picking up the swimsuit and walking to the corner. "Don't look."

Draco turned around, pulling his robes over his head and then removing his shirt. He undid his belt and pulled his pants down, revealing emerald green swimming trunks. Luna removed her shirt as quickly as she could and pulled the swimsuit over, and then she pulled her pants and underwear down to her ankles, kicking them off and pulling the swimsuit up.

They both turned around, and Draco stared at Luna's body. Her fire-truck red bikini was speckled with Galleon-sized snow-white polka dots. The bottom was high waisted, and reached the bottom of her abdomen. The top was a bando top, which was strapless.

Luna stared at Draco's chest, and noticed every curve. He had a six-pack on top of his abdomen, and his pelvis curved in, creating a V shape that went down into the top of his swim trunks. His chest was rock-hard looking, as if it were shaped with marble.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the edge of the pool. "Watch."

Draco stepped away from Luna, got a running start and jumped as high as he could in the air, turning his body in a huge flip before he hit the water head-first, making a large splash.

Luna cringed as he hit the water, expecting him to hit a piece of ice and land on the top. But no, he sank into its cool blue depths, and rose up, grabbing the side of the pool and staring up at Luna.

"Come on, the water's great."

"Oh no, I shouldn't really…" she trailed off, not looking in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"Well, I can't really… swim."

"Oh, no. Why didn't you tell me? I'll teach you."

"The thing is… I'm terrified of the water. I've never been underwater before except for taking baths as a child." She admitted, turning her head away in shame.

"Jump in. I'll teach you how to swim. Just jump." He told her, swimming backwards away from the side of the pool so she would have room to jump.

Luna gulped and backed away from the side, and she could almost feel the tears welling up in her eyes. With a large stride, she flew herself into the air, where she felt suspended for the longest amount of time. It was one of the most terrifying moments of her life, as she felt she was about to hit a huge block of ice or something, but she finally slipped into the silky depths of the calm pool water.

Immediately she felt the burning sensation as the chlorine water entered her nose through her nostrils. She began coughing underneath the surface, but as she opened her mouth the water entered, making the need to cough greater. The water felt so strange, so weird, as it moved like silk between her fingers, and her eyes were wide open, burning the cornea. She saw the little bubbles that she had caused, little pockets of air in the water in the shape of spheres.

She realized she had her life in Draco's hands completely at this moment. It was up to Draco to grab her and pull her up to the surface, or watch her drown underneath the water.

She realized that instant what a fool she had been before. She had let herself fall in love with somebody she was not good enough for, somebody whose parent's worked for the Dark Lord. How could she expect that he would change his whole lifestyle for a girl who was worthless to him? Was this all a joke?

But then she felt a hand thread his fingers through hers, and grabbed her with all of his strength, ripping her up to the water's surface. As soon as she hit the fresh air, she began choking, and he lifted her up to sit on the mocha-colored stepping-stone as water ejected from her lungs.

"Oh my God, are you alright?" he asked, laying his palm on her knee.

She let all the water out and let her mind clear out and get rid of the burning, tingling feeling in her brain. Once she was all right she turned her head back to him.

"I'm fine. Just no more jumping."

He chuckled. "Okay. Come here, I'll teach you how to swim."

She let her body drop back in to the crystalline waters, somewhat unwillingly, and he immediately grabbed her around the waist and led her to the middle of the pool.

"The first thing you need to learn is how to tread water. All you really need to do is kick your feet around a lot to stay above the water. He let her try, and she did it, not as gracefully as him, but she still managed.

"Okay, now you need to tilt your body somewhat sideways, and kick four feet the same way, and let your arms move around."

He showed her an example as she tread above the surface.

After about an hour of intense training, Luna learned how to swim. She loved the way the water felt on her fingertips as she pushed forward, and she swam back and forth from one end of the pool to the other, shrieking with joy. "I can do it! I can swim!"

"Yes you can!" Draco exclaimed, holding his arms out as Luna swam into them, feeling his marble stomach.

Luna even went underwater, after learning to blow out your nose so water can't go in. She loved the sight under the top of the water, where everything was bright blue and so surreal, and little chains of lighter blue scattered around the bottom of the pool. When she came up for air, she held a handful of water in her palm till it all filtered out, and she watched the little drops of glistening blue topaz drip back to the water, where millions of tiny topaz joined together, making one large pool.

Draco made her face her fear and jump off the side again, and it was a success. She loved just floating around the most, though, because it gave her time to think about things. She felt the warm ripple of the electric blue current on the small of her back, and it soothed her aching nerves and clenched muscles. Her ears lay underneath the top of the water, so the water drowned out the sound of splashing above the surface. Her eyes were closed, her legs kicking gracefully below, her arms stretched out at her sides, and she was perfectly comfortable. Sometimes she sank a tiny bit deeper and let the water fill the hollowed socket in her face right where her eyes were, but they remained closed.

Draco got out and sat on the side of the pool, the tips of his toes grazing the surface of the water. Luna pulled herself out of the water to sit by him.

He laughed out loud. "I can't believe you've never swam in a pool before. It was a Muggle experience my parents didn't want me to miss."

"Well, my father doesn't have money to waste, and he spends every Sickle making sure I'm happy and healthy." She said softly.

"I'm so sorry." He told her, knowing that moment that he was lucky.

"It's okay."

'If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your mother?" he asked gently, trying not to hurt her feelings.

Luna laughed a cruel, bitter laugh. "My mum? She died when I was a little girl. My father raised me since I was teensy-weensy. But I barely knew my mum before she died. And it feels awful but I get mad at her for leaving me sometimes. Everything was so good before she died. My family used to be so normal, just a run-of-the-mill family. And then the spell backfired and she died. And my father, he realized that this world _sucked_ and so he made his own. He said, 'Luna, honey, you don't have to feel pain anymore. You can be happy once again.' He told me to turn off my emotions, and they wouldn't hurt me. And so I did. Because I was weak and stupid. And then this world he made, it was just so, so, I can never think of the word. Maybe it's outrageous. I'm not quite sure. But I realized halfway through Hogwarts that I didn't want it anymore. You, Draco, gave me the will to shut it away."

"Luna, you just always seemed so happy, so dotty, so crazy about that world you lived in. You're not one of those people I would have suspected of being unhappy."

"I know. I was so crazy, so happy-go-lucky, or at least that's how I seemed. You would have never known that this Luna was trapped inside, waiting to be set free." She said, smiling. "But I'm not the only one with a back story. Tell me yours, Draco."

"Mine's not all that interesting, though." She ushered him on, and he sighed. "My parents have been Death Eaters their whole lives, and so have their ancestors. It's actually in my blood to be evil, Luna, not a mistake my parents made. My father hits me, when I was little it was for getting lower marks than a Mud- Muggle born, I mean, and then he found out that I was unwilling to join Voldemort's side, and he locked me in my room and starved me for several days. And my mother tried to help me but he hit her also, and I can't respect the man I used to love anymore. I couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts, but when I got here I was actually a little suicidal because I knew if I kept living it would hurt just as much as if I went right through the fires of hell, and I thought that nobody gave a damn about me."

"I do."

"I know, Luna. You're my reason." He told her.

"You're the reason I turned my emotions back on, to be honest. Sure, if I didn't feel anything I wouldn't have to feel pain, but I didn't get to feel happiness. But now I can feel love."

He kissed her on the lips, grabbing her face and pulling it closer to him, inhaling the vanilla scent and the cinnamon, and the sweet smell of caramel Luna gave off.

Luna's heart jumped, and she could feel the electric jolt in her stomach, which made her gasp into Draco's mouth. Luna decided to do something she had never done before, and she nibbled lightly on his bottom lip, Draco's chest hitting her's, pulling her body on top of his, so she lie on his stomach on the ground. She kissed down his chest, and when she got to his swim trunks, she pulled her head up to look in his eyes deeply.

"Maybe another time." She said lightly, sitting up to let her feet graze the first layer of water in the pool.

Draco sighed and stood up, and for a split second she wondered if he was leaving her, but he just jumped into the pool, causing a huge splash, and Luna giggled.

When he returned to the air above, he rubbed the water out of his eyes and opened his arms wide. "Jump."

Luna stood up and leaped into the air, and Draco caught her in his arms, spinning her around above the water's surface.

She laughed and screamed, tossed and twirled around in the air, before he let her down.

"Watch this!" she called as he tossed his head back to look at her.

Luna pushed off from the side of the pool with her feet, slipping underwater forcefully as the bubbles popped around her. She began paddling as fast as she could, but soon, before she reached the other side of the pool, she realized she needed air and floated upwards, pushing all the hair out of her eyes as she surfaced.

Draco was applauding, and the sound echoed off the walls. "Good job!"

"Thanks!"

"I brought champagne." He told her, her eyes lighting up.

"Wow, that's so romantic." She murmured as he crawled out of the pool, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his shoulders, and fishing the bottle out of the pocket of his robes. He noticed some wine glasses in the corner and thought of how smart this room really was. He opened the bottle and poured a full glass for Luna and a full glass for himself.

He set the bottle of champagne back down on the ground and handed Luna her glass as she sat with her arms folded on the stepping stones, the rest of her body submerged in the water. He climbed in next to her and took a sip from his glass. He found it very girly to drink from a wine glass, but it was for her and he would do anything for Luna.

Draco waited for her to take a drink, but her hand rested on her glass. "What's wrong with it?"

She jumped, as she was deep in her thoughts, and she smiled to herself. "Oh, nothing. I've just never drank before and I'm kind of scared."

Draco chuckled. "It would take much more than one glass to get you drunk, Luna. If you get drunk I promise I'll carry you to bed and tuck you in and give you a glass of water and an aspirin for your hangover."

"Promise me." she demanded kindly.

"Swear." He said, raising his pinkie and wrapping it around Luna's.

Unwillingly she grabbed the neck of the glass and raised it to her lips, letting the champagne touch her tongue gently and flow down to her throat. She swallowed the liquid and looked at him.

"What do you think?" he asked, taking a small sip of his own.

"It's… it's really good." She admitted, putting the glass back down.

He laughed, but suddenly he felt something serious pull him downwards, like a weight dropping on his shoulders instead of being lifted.

"What happens at the end of the year?" he asked quietly.

"What do you mean?" she whispered, downing a sip of champagne.

"Your parents don't like mine, mine don't like yours. They would kill us if they found- dammit." He muttered.

"What? What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"Severus Snape is the problem." He told her, looking down at his feet kicking in the water.

"Is Professor Snape a Death Eater?"

"Yes. But I guess it's no big deal." He said, calming her.

"Oh." She swam closer to him, laying her palm flat on his chest. "Well, may I say how attractive you look?"

He chuckled. "Of course you can."

Quickly and smoothly he grabbed her and pulled her underwater, kissing her passionately on the lips. She was surprised, but she did kiss back. Soon they needed air, though, so they floated upwards to the surface.

"Too bad we don't have any gillyweed." Draco said, actually wanting it more than anything.

"You sure do know a lot of stuff. I like smart guys." Luna said, grinning widely.

He showed her his toothy smile, grabbing her hand and squeezing it tight.

"Okay, I have a question."

"What is it?" he asked.

"What would you do if you woke up five years younger and realized this was all a dream?"

"Oh, wow. Tough question." He paused for a while, deep in concentration. "I would probably run over to you, kiss you and hold you tight, and see if you had the same dream and maybe if you did we could make it a reality."

"Really?"

"Yes." Draco downed the rest of his glass of champagne, grabbing the bottle and pouring more in his wine glass.

"I think we should probably go to bed." She said, as she finished her drink.

"Yeah, I don't want any more detention." He said, chuckling. "At least if someone caught us we could both go, and I wouldn't have to sit alone with that Finnigan asshole."

"Yes," Luna said, laughing. "I guess you wouldn't. But you know, I have better ways to spend my Saturday nights than scrubbing the Great Hall floors, although I do appreciate you defending my honor."

They climbed out of the pool warily, even though they wanted to stay forever in that same spot. Luna grabbed a huge fluffy purple towel and wrapped it around her shoulders. She got most of the water droplets off of her body, and then dried out her hair a little. Luna wrapped the towel around her huge frizzy curls on top of her head. She did not feel like changing back into her regular clothes, so she let the towel soak up some of the moisture in her hair and then wrapped it around her body. She scooped up her clothes and as she began walking towards the door, she felt a slight _crunch_ under her toes. She looked down, seeing that the room had put hundreds of rose petals around the room on the floor. She smiled to herself as Draco grabbed his things and they walked out of the door together, sticking to the wall so that nobody would catch them. Soon they stood in front of the Ravenclaw common room portrait hole, and he grabbed her forearms and laid a kiss on her forehead.

"I had fun tonight." He said softly.

"Me too." She said, gently.

"Sweet dreams, princess."

She smiled at him, a huge, joy-filled smile that lit up her electric blue eyes and brightened her features, giving her a pretty glow.

"You too."

He watched her walk through the portrait hole and walked off to the Slytherin dungeons. When Luna had showered quickly to get all the chlorine off her body, she changed into comfy, clean pajamas and jumped into bed. All of the other girls were asleep, which left her all alone to think her thoughtsbefore drifting off into a nice, comfy sleep.

On Friday night after dinner, Luna and Draco were in the corridors, talking to a group of Hufflepuffs. They were talking about a party they were hosting that very night, but they did not know where to have it.

"You could have it in the Room of Requirement," Luna suggested as every eye turned to look at her. "Or some people call it the Come and Go Room."

"Oh yes, the room where the D.A. meetings were held." One bushy-haired Hufflepuff with oval glasses said.

"You guys want to?" Hannah Abbott asked, looking around to see the expressions of her classmates.

"Sure!" Ernie Macmillan said. "You guys can come, if you like."

"Well, why not? Can I bring some Gryffindors?" Luna asked.

"If they're cool!" Ernie joked, punching Luna lightly on the shoulder. "It's at six."

"We'll be there." Luna looked at Draco, but he still remained quiet.

"Well, see you there." A redheaded pimply Hufflepuff boy said.

Luna wanted to look good for the party so that she wouldn't be bullied like always. She hated it when the upperclassmen stole her shoes or made fun of her and called her 'Looney', although she didn't show it. She even wore a hint of makeup and straightened her hair. Instead of wearing boring robes, she wore light-colored skinny jeans, a small black tank top and a loose fitting mermaid-tail green loose top. She wore gray Vans on her feet, and she threw a little glitter over it all and walked out feeling confident.

Draco was waiting outside the portrait hole. He grabbed her hand and began walking toward the seventh floor and walked by the door three times, until it appeared in front of them. They entered and saw tons of people from Hufflepuff, from Ravenclaw, from Gryffindor, and a light scattering of Slytherins, mostly Draco though. There was a huge dancefloor and a disco ball, and loud wizard music was blaring from the radios. Luna recognized Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George, and Neville. Luna and Draco strutted to the dancefloor and she started moving her body to the beat. She felt the music flow through her limbs, but she realized that Draco was standing outside the dancefloor, laughing at her recital. She stopped dancing abruptly, embarrassed as a blush rose to her fair cheeks.

"Do you want to get a drink?" he shouted to her over the music.

"Sure!" she called, grabbing his hand and squeezing it tight, leading him to the long table of drinks and snacks.

"Did you guys bring these snacks? I thought this room couldn't make food." Luna asked Hannah who was snacking on a wheat chip and a glass of pumpkin juice.

"Yes, we did. Fred and George snuck them from the kitchen." she replied.

"It sure is handy to have them around, isn't it?" Luna asked rhetorically, grabbing a small, chocolate-covered pastry. She bit into it, and the cream exploded in her mouth.

"Definitely." Hannah responded. " heard they brought alcohol. That's extremely inappropriate for a party of sixteen year olds!"

"I don't know. If you drink it appropriately than I bet it's okay. We're as mature as adults we outta be able to drink once in a while, as long as we drink responsibly." Luna replied.

"Luna, it's against the law!" Hannah said in a hushed tone.

"I think that soon, Voldemort's going to invade. If we can't drink now, we won't ever drink!" Luna argued.

"That's not something to joke about! You know he's back, it's hard to believe you would crack a joke about You-Know-Who!"

"Oh goodness, call him by his name. It's not hurting anybody. Look, see, Voldemort, Voldemort, Voldemort! Nothing, right?"

"Luna stop it, you're causing a scene!" Hannah warned.

"Oh stop it, I'm just kidding with you." She joked, but Hannah did not laugh.

"That was inappropriate and rude!"

"Lighten up, Hannah! It's a party!" Luna called after her, as she had stormed off to Ernie.

Draco grabbed Luna by the forearm and dragged her to the corner of the room. "Are you insane? Have you been drinking?"

"No, what are you talking about?" Luna asked innocently.

"You know what happened with Abbott! I've never seen you act like that," Draco said, taking a pause. "That's my girl."

Luna laughed.

"Attention people, time for some party games. Everyone who wants to play a Muggle game we call truth or dare, gather over here. If not, you can stay on the dancefloor." George Weasley announced, raising his red plastic cup of a questionable liquid.

Luna shrugged at Draco and they went to sit down with the game players. They sat in a deformed circle, and George decided since he had announced it he would be first to ask the question.

"Okay, hmmmmm, Harry, truth or dare?" George asked, eyeing Harry suspiciously.

"Uh, I think I'll play the safe card and go with truth. I can't trust you, George."

"Wow, that hurt my heart, Harry. But let's not beat around the bush. My question for you is, have you and Hermione, well, you know." He winked at Harry.

He blushed beet red. "Well George I don't think that's any of your-"

"Just tell us, we're curious and bored." Fred interjected.

"If you really want to know, the answer is no." Harry said. "Ginny, truth or dare?"

"Dare." Ginny said regretfully.

"I dare you to pour that whole bucket of pumpkin juice down the back of Neville's pants!" Harry yelled, cracking up with fits of laughter.

"HARRY!" Neville and Ginny screamed in unison, turning beet red just as Harry did.

The whole room was laughing. Even Hannah Abbott released a couple giggles before covering her mouth with her hand.

"Harry, I'm not doing that." Ginny declared.

"You have to. It's a dare, Ginny. You have to do the dare." Harry demanded sternly, a smile crossing his lips before he settled into a frown again.

"But-"

"Go, Ginevra."

Ginny gasped at the use of her full name, but she jumped to her feet and slowly crossed the room, grabbing the bucket of pumpkin juice and slowly crossing back to Neville.

"I'm so sorry Neville!" Ginny squeaked before turning her head away from him, bending down, lifting the waistband of his khakis, and slowly pouring the juice down.

He gasped, as did the rest of the crowd. Ginny shamefully set the bucket down on the counter and sat back down in the oval.

"So, Ron. Truth or dare?" Ginny asked as Neville sat in pain from the icy liquid in his pants.

"Um, if I get a dare like yours than, bloody hell I'm choosing dare!" Ron said as Lavender cuddled up to him.

"Hmm, I dare you to… have seven minutes in heaven. In the closet. With Cho." Ginny said, grinning.

"Bloody hell!" Ron yelled, just as Cho looked horrified.

"It's a dare. You have to do it!"

After a couple minutes of arguing back and forth, Ron and Cho stood up and walked to the closet together. Terry and Lavender looked horrified, as those were their dates.

Seven minutes later they returned, looking a little windblown and they sat down in the circle again, not speaking for a full minute or so.

The next hour was filled with truth or dare, with some pretty crazy dares. For example, Hermione had to remove her bra with her shirt still on and give it as a present to Harry. Harry was a happy camper, but Hermione was not.

"We could play spin the bottle!" Luna suggested randomly.

"What's that?" Dean asked her.

"It's where you have a bottle and you spin it around in the floor and whoever it lands on you have to kiss. Unless it's somebody your gender and then you get to spin again." She explained. She had seen it on a Muggle television show about a bunch of teenagers at a party. It seemed fitting for the occasion.

Harry spun first, with Hermione cuddled into his side. She rested her head on his robe-clad shoulder, her arm wrapped around his waist. The empty green beer bottle spun around the circle several times before it landed on Terry Boot. He looked horrified as Harry spun it again, the suspense in the room rising high before it settled on Romilda Vane.

Harry had a disgusted look on his face, although Romilda seemed the opposite of sad. They crawled on their hands and knees toward the middle of the circle where their lips touched for half a second, and then they went back to their seats. Romilda spun next and it landed on Neville. She did not seem as happy about it, though. Then Neville spun and it landed on Katie Bell. She groaned but kissed him and sat back down on Lee Jordan's lap. Then Katie spun, and it settled on Marietta Edgecombe. She spun again, landing on Ron. Ron kissed Katie quickly, sitting back down. Then Ron spun and landed on Cho, which was awkward because he had to kiss her again. Then Cho spun and it landed on Justin Finch-Fletchey. Justin spun, landing on Luna. She clasped Draco's hand quickly before letting go and giving Justin a small peck on the lips and sat back down with him. She spun the bottle, landing on Ginny. She spun once more and it stopped, pointing right at Harry Potter. She saw the angry fire in Draco's eyes, his fists clenched together. She lightly pecked Harry's lips, but her hand slipped from the ground, and she started falling right on her back, with Harry still kissing her. He immediately stood up, grabbing Luna's hand and pulling her to her feet and dusting off his robes. He sat down with Hermione again, and Luna sat with Draco.

Draco seemed mad, so she grabbed his hand and whispered in his ear that she loved him. He smiled slightly but returned to a frown. After that, Harry kissed Parvati Patil, and Parvati kissed Zacharias Smith. He snogged with Alicia Spinnet, who then spun to Draco. He was shocked and almost demanded not to, but she was crawling towards him slowly, and touched her lips to his before sitting back down in her spot. He was disgusted as he wiped his lips. But then he had to spin, and it landed on Ron Weasley. Disgustedly he spun again, and this time it landed on Michael Corner. For the third time he spun before it stopped, pointing straight at Hermione Granger.

He did not want to kiss her at all, as both had disgusted looks on their faces. But they crawled forward, barely touching before sitting back down, wiping off their faces. Hermione spun the bottle and it landed right on Fred Weasley. Happy to get the Draco germs off her face she crawled forward and kissed him straight on the lips, but neither pulled away. They were stuck in that frame of time, and it felt perfect to have him on her lips, even better than Harry felt kissing her.

They finally pulled apart, looking right in each other's eyes. Time was stuck. How long had passed. Seconds? Minutes? Hours? Hermione didn't know. All she knew was that she had kissed Fred Weasley, and she had liked it.

"Okay, let's go dance again," Lavender Brown said, standing up and grabbing Ron's hand to pull him up. Everyone else got up to dance, feeling the awkwardness in the air, leaving Harry, Hermione, and Fred on the floor. With a sigh Harry stood up and walked out the red door of the Room of Requirement. Hermione jumped up from the floor, leaving Fred sitting alone on the carpet. He lay down on the ground, shutting his eyes closed tightly. For once he had no jokes to say. His mind was blank, like his whole world had been sucked out.

Hermione ran out the door after Harry. "Harry!"

"No, Hermione! You kissed him, and you liked it." Harry yelled, turning back around and walking down a marble flight of stairs.

"Harry, wait, listen." She pleaded, trying to grab his hand but he pulled his away.

"No, we're over, Hermione." He said, making his way to a landing before he stomped down another staircase.

She felt helpless, wrong; like she wanted to take it all back and start again. She slid down the wall in despair, letting the tears finally fall down her face. Her hands flew up to shield her eyes so that she wouldn't have to see the world without Harry standing next to her.

After a long while she got up and she tucked herself into bed. She wondered how she could betray Harry like that. But soon sleep came to wash out her awful, horrible thoughts.

Voldemort sat in a rocking chair in a barren room, the oak wood of the seat creaking against the dark-colored tile. As the chair slowly pulled the Dark Lord back and forth, he rested one long-fingered hand on the head of his beautiful emerald green snake Nagini, who sat hissing with her thin pink tongue peeking from her mouth. As Voldemort stroked her, he spoke to her in a whisper, as he did speak Parseltongue.

He heard echoed footsteps rising up the old staircase of the abandoned Muggle home. Voldemort hissed to Nagini.

Gibbon, a faithful Death Eater, sauntered in shamefully.

"Ah Gibbon. I see you have returned from your very important mission I have assigned. Now tell me, have you succeeded?" Voldemort asked, one hand rested on the prickly, cracking wood armrest of the old rocking chair, one hand rested on Nagini's head.

As Gibbon stared down at the oak wood floor, a strong, cold gust of bitterly aggressive wind blew in from the small, square window, the only one adorned into the barren concrete wall. The faded creamy orange lace curtain sailed up into the air, the only decoration left in the dark room.

"My Lord, I am ashamed to tell you I could not find the location of the Muggles you wish to interrogate." Gibbon replied quietly, his head still turned downwards, like a dead, crumbling rose.

The moonlight could not pass through the small window, as a layer of hazy clouds drained the color out of the usually indigo blue night sky, imbedded with shining white stars.

"Lord Voldemort does not accept failure," The Dark Lord hissed, turning his chair in a full circle to meet Gibbon's shameful gray eyes.

"I am begging you to give me another chance, my lord."

"Another thing Lord Voldemort does not do is give second chances." He whispered. "Now, do you agree that I gave you a simple task- to find the Muggles and to bring them back to me? you have failed the Dark Lord, and he must kill you."

Gibbon dropped down to his knees, throwing his shaking hands together and interlocking the pale fingers so they raised up to Voldemort. "Please, my lord, I need to prove to you I can succeed in your missions."

"You have proved to me that I can no longer trust those I thought I could," Voldemort hissed to the pleading Death Eaters.

"I-beg-of-you," Gibbon begged between sobs.

Another gust of cold air shook Gibbon, ruffling his ink black robes and leaving his mousy gray hair in disarray.

Voldemort tugged his yew and phoenix feather wand out of his robes, sticking the end to Gibbon's temple.

A long moment of silence passed between the two, as the Death Eater sat shaking on his knees.

"Avada Kedavra."

Gibbon's body dropped to the hard wood flooring, a steady stream of dark red blood flowing from his pointed nose.

Voldemort stepped over his dead body, exiting the dark, musty room, his snake following pursuit.


	6. Chapter 6: Snape's Decision

A/N! THIS CHAPTER WILL BE SHORT AND SWEET! DON'T EXPECT LONG CHAPTERS LIKE THE LAST TWO. THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE LONG, AND PRETTY MUCH TILL THE END OF THE BOOK! SORRY FOR THE WAIT BUT OUR INTERNET WAS DOWN AND I COULDN'T POST! SO I'M SORRY FOR MAKING YOU GUYS WAIT FOR A TINY LITTLE TEENSY-WEENSIE CHAPTER BUT DON'T WORRY THIS IS THE START OF ACTION IN THIS BOOK!

Chapter 6

Severus Snape was busy teaching a Potions class, instructing the students on how to make _Felix Felicis, _although his mind was all over the place. He had made an unsteady decision, but he just kept wondering if it was the right thing to do. He wondered if he should ask Dumbledore for advice, but he knew that was out of the question. He was supposed to be brave and make the right decisions on his own, not with the help of the shrewd headmaster.

As he turned away from the class to grab a component from the back of the dungeon, he saw Draco Malfoy take hold of Lovegood's hand tightly, laying a small kiss on her cheek. Suddenly Snape knew exactly what he had to do. As the students began working on their own potions, Snape sat down in the seat behind his desk, laying his head on his hands.

When class was over and everybody had successfully finished their potions, except for Neville Longbottom, who's was a magenta color instead of a warm, glossy gold, Snape billowed out of his dungeon, his robes trailing behind them. He made it to his small office, where he sat silently for several minutes before grabbing an empty scroll from his desk, picking up his feathered quill, dipping it in a jar of onyx black ink, and began writing.


	7. Chapter 7: The Uprising

**Chapter 7**

"Dear Bella, may I see you in here?" Voldemort asked angrily from his seat at the head of the table. beside him sat Severus Snape, no expression on his cruel face. All of the other Death Eaters sat grouped around the large oak table. The most devoted and faithful servants sat closer to the Dark Lord, including an empty seat where Bellatrix was to sit, right beside the Voldemort. Also, the most useful to him sat closer, and that's why the two closest to him were Severus and Bella. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy sat, her sobbing into her hands, closest to the empty seat left for Bellatrix.

She had just arrived; Rodolphus had been hitting her again. Rodolphus had always been abusive to his wife, sometimes the anger overcame him and he just couldn't hold it in. Bellatrix was used to it by now, she just slapped his face harder, leaving a large red welt on his cheek. She did not know why he dared her to hurt him; Voldemort was closer to Bellatrix than Rodolphus; he would defend her first.

She was wearing her same black dress, with matted dirt stains in it. Her hair was large and frizzy, also matted with dirt. The curls that some called beautiful knotted up into a huge rat's nest; her hair had not been combed in years. Her fake nails were sharp claws, painted mustard yellow with large flecks of mud littering the chipping surface.

Bellatrix was wearing several silver-chained necklaces around her grungy neck. They overlapped in several places and the longest chain swung by her waist.

Th slits on her dress revealed pale, dirty skin. She had not showered since a couple of moths ago, at the least. She stayed with Narcissa and Lucius; they had a shower they used everyday. Everybody urged Bellatrix to shower more often, but she spent more time devoting herself to the Dark Lord in every way possible. She had no idea if the Dark Lord appreciated her for everything she did; although he had once said Bella was his most devoted and faithful servant.

Bellatrix walked shamefully into the dining room, knowing she were to be in trouble. She was immediately curious as to why Narcissa was sobbing. Bellatrix never trusted the two to be true Death Eaters; they had not devoted their lives to the Dark Lord like she herself had! They had always seemed to be more caring for their only son, Draco.

"Yes, my Lord?" she asked.

"Can you explain the meaning of this?" Voldemort held out a scroll to her. The paper was crinkled and yellow, old and worn down by the sun, obviously delivered by owl. She thought she smelled something dead.

She squinted to read the small, cursive ink letters. The color drained out of her face as she strained to read each word. Her eyes widened with each one.

Bellatrix pulled her want out of her boot forcefully, pointing it at the ceiling in anger as a blue streak flew from the tip, hitting the ceiling and leaving a large, crumbling circle in the high roofed room.

She looked at the rest of the Death Eaters, and they stared with fierce eyes at Bella. But then every eye in the room turned toward Lucius and Narcissa, her sobbing into her hands.

"The filthy-" Bellatrix screamed.

"Bella, my boy," Lucius interrupted, clearing his throat as his voice cracked. "My boy would never date a friend of Potter's, I have warned him of the consequences of these very actions."

"Lucius, if I may voice my opinion," Voldemort cut in. "I would say Severus knows, as he is at Hogwarts, better than you, who does not spend as much time with Draco."

"My lord, he is no son of mine. Dating a friend of Mudbloods, and blood traitors alike. If I did not know better, I would think he was cursed, perhaps the Imperius Curse, to date a supporter of Albus Dumbledore." Lucius said, his voice cracking as he spoke.

"Well, no matter. The boy will die with dignity, and he can be buried right next to Potter, when I get my way."

"No!" Narcissa spoke, her voice cracking just as her husband's did. "He's just a boy, he knows no better than this, just a boy."

"I apologize, Narcissa. I was actually growing quite fond of Draco, myself. But he has betrayed us, and you have not seemed to teach him that some wizarding families are better than others."

"He doesn't know any better!" she sobbed into her husband's shoulder.

"As for the pair of you, Nagini has gone hungry. I must feed him a Snatcher. By the time I return, I expect you to be gone from here."

Voldemort stood, stroking Nagini's head. He Disapparated with his snake.

Dolohov stood. "I am ashamed with my lord. Gibbon was a dear friend of mine. I will stand by you two. And if it comes to a fight, I will fight right by your side. Who will join us?"

The three looked around, eyeing each beady black eye. The ones they stared at longest were Severus's.

"Severus, please," Lucius pleaded.

"The Dark Lord will not tolerate an army against him, you fools! And if he were to, you know very well how it will end. I am most certainly positive that some of you joined him out of pure fear, not loyalty. If there were to be a weak representation of an army, the Dark Lord would be completely and utterly certain that I would not be a part of it." Snape told them, the thickness in his voice sending chill down their spines.

"Severus, you don't understand. The bigger the army, the more time before he finds Draco and kills him." Narcissa begged.

"The Dark Lord's power is limitless and standing against him is foolish. No matter how many unfaithful servants join you, unless Harry Potter joins you, you stand no chance. The power lies with him, and only him to vanquish the Dark Lord." Severus drawled.

"Well, we'll stand in the way." Lucius said.

A few Death Eaters stood, and Bellatrix eyed each one sickeningly.

"Cissy! How dare you form an army against him! He will destroy anyone who stands in his way! That is a promise that is dangerous to doubt, Narcissa!" Bellatrix screamed.

"I hope he does." She said quietly, grabbing all eighteen Death Eaters that had risen from the large dining table. They linked arms and Disapparated from the Muggle dining room.

Bellatrix let out a high pitched shriek, kicking an intricately carved metal chair into the yellowing white walls so hard it ripped through the drywall.

She breathed loudly, daring herself to not take out her wand. She calmed down, and sat back in her chair, clasping her pale, long-fingered hands together on the table.

At that moment, Voldemort slithered through the door, his snake by his side.

"Now, now, Bellatrix. More damage to the dining room? What will the Muggles say?" he asked, looking around. "Where have my servants gone, Severus?"

"I'm afraid to tell you, my lord, that they have joined Lucius and Narcissa," Snape said quietly.

"I tried to stop them, my lord! I warned them of your power, but they were intent on their ways! I nearly grabbed onto them when they Disapparated!" Bellatrix exclaimed.

"Thank you, Bellatrix." The Dark Lord said, stroking the top of Nagini's head as he sat down. "Amycus, I elect that you, would be the best of all people here, to spy and see what their intentions are."

"My lord, I see no problem with this. Where have they Apperated to?"

"I have no idea, Amycus. I would estimate an old Muggle home." He said calmly. "I trust you as one of my faithful Death Eaters to find this home."

"Thank you, my lord. For this honorable mission." With a loud _crack_, Amycus had Disapparated from the room.

"Severus, tell me the story of young Draco again." Voldemort hissed.


	8. Chapter 8: The Fires of Hell

**Chapter 8**

"Lucius," Narcissa sighed.

She faced him, though they stood on opposite sides of the room on the blank second-story bedroom. No windows were scattered around the chipping white walls of the abandoned Muggle home. The floor had small pieces of wood that stuck up in every direction. The ceiling sat low, bowed in in the center. The house was the meeting spot for the resistance.

"Dumbledore is a powerful wizard. The boundaries he has set around Hogwarts will be nearly impossible to break. If we can get Draco out before Voldemort does, we have a chance of his survival." Lucius told the group of unfaithful Death Eaters that stood in a semi-circle formation, the rounded edge pressed against the wall.

"Spells are often located in books, found in old libraries and such. Perhaps the spell to break the boundaries will be found in a library." Yaxley replied from the corner, eyeing Lucius to see his response.

"That's correct, Yaxley," he said, stoking the top of his cane. "And I do know of a library with spell books. In our old Manor."

"We can all venture to your Manor to get the spell book," a Snatcher named Scabior suggested.

"Traveling together will be too obvious, Scabior. Voldemort has better chances of tracking us down if our group is larger."

"What if we split up and do different missions?" Nott suggested, ink black eyes glaring into Lucius's gray ones.

"A mission?" Lucius repeated, tilting his head to the side, concentrating on a mission that would work for each of them. "Narcissa and I will find the book."

The others nodded their head in understanding.

"Yaxley, you are trusted greatly. You, Travers, and Nott will be our double agents. Avery, Mulciber, you will brew Polyjuice Potion. Give it to Yaxley, Travers, and Nott to become Dolohov, Amycus, and Crabbe."  
"Snatchers, some of our wands have been stolen. Go out and fetch us some wands," Lucius instructed.

"Macnair, Jugson, all the rest, you stay here and watch the house. Make sure the Death Eaters don't come and go through our things to find our plans. Now, off! Start your duties!"

Some Disapparated, such as the Snatchers and Avery and Mulciber, to find ingredients for the potion. Lucius and Narcissa stayed in the home, watching as the others left.

By that point, Amycus had heard everything he needed to know. He Disapparated from the Muggle home, back to the home of the meeting of the Death Eaters.

* * *

Voldemort sat with his long-fingered hands clasped on the dusty wood dining table, no expression plastered on his green-tinted skin.

"Ah, Amycus, you have returned. What information do you bring to the table?"

Amycus grabbed a chair and pulled it away from the table, sitting himself down, clasping his hands atop the counter as the Dark Lord did, pale blue eyes looking into the Dark Lord's heartless ones.

"They have split. Lucius and his wife are retrieving a spell book from their old Manor," he told him.

"What spell book, Amycus?" Dolohov asked from the end of the table.

"One that holds the information to help them break down the barrier around Hogwarts." He replied.

"Those are his intentions? What is he to be doing at Hogwarts?" Bellatrix asked shrilly.

"The Malfoys wish to retrieve Draco and put him into hiding." Amycus answered calmly.

"Before the Dark Lord can find him," Bellatrix and Dolohov finished in unison.

"Is that all you have to say about the matter?" Voldemort asked.

"That is all I heard, my lord." He answered.

"I appreciate this, Amycus. This will be noted when I consider who to complete my important tasks. Thank you."

"Of course, my lord."

"Bellatrix, may I speak to you, please?" The Dark Lord asked.

"Yes, my lord! Anything for you!" Bellatrix replied.

"Thank you for the enthusiasm. I have a duty for you,"

"I would be delighted to complete a mission, my lord!"

"Come with me, may I ask?" Voldemort hissed, placing one hand on the small of Bella's back. They ventured through the open doorway to the flight of wooden stairs.

The Dark Lord held his gentle hand on the open slit on the back of her black, bedazzled dress, so his crinkly, long-nailed hand dug into the flesh of her back.

He pulled her downstairs, and with every step it released a creak of the wood, and dust particles flew into the air above them.

She spoke no words, in fear of angering her lord. She simply looked down at her black leather high-heeled boots. They reached the basement, and Bellatrix inhaled but began choking on the dust in the thick, warm air.

"I apologize, dear." He said calmly. "Muggles have no respect for homes."

She remained silent as his uncomfortable, scratchy hands dug into the flesh on her backside.

She cringed, but he did not notice.

In the very east corner of the barren basement, there was a large red jug with a yellow spout, and it was smeared with grease, dirt and mud. It looked as if it was a pot to water flowers with, but Bellatrix knew this was probably the opposite of Voldemort's intentions.

He grabbed it by the red handle and passed it onto her. As she held it, she realized it was full of liquid.

"I need you to get rid of one of my obstacles to power," he hissed, grabbing the hand of Bella's that did not contain the jug.

They Disapparated into an old mansion. Bellatrix looked around. "This was Cissy's old Manor, my lord! What are we doing here?"

"I want you to empty this jug on the tile of the mansion," he hissed. "_Accio book_."

A spell book, aged thousands of years old flew into his open hand. The brown leather binding, wrinkled and worn down opened to expose hundreds of yellow, crinkled pages. Each word was handwritten, in black ink, cursive style. It was shockingly beautiful.

The book fell open to the page of boundary spells. Voldemort skimmed through the several spells before smiling a wickedly insane smile and ripping the page out, stuffing it into his robes.

He returned the book to its spot before Disapparating, leaving Bellatrix to her duty.

She stared at the Muggle object in her hand, just a red jug. She unhooked the cap and poured a brown liquid onto the floor, as the Dark Lord had instructed. The smell of the liquid burned her nose as she splashed it onto the oak wood floor, leaving drizzling trails of dark fluid behind her. She had no idea what this would do, but she followed her lord's orders. She dumped large amounts in the wooded area of the home, pouring some on the stairs to the basement. When the jug ran out, she grabbed her wand.

"_Replenchio_," she screeched as the jug refilled itself.

She poured some on the walls, on tables, chairs, beds, railings, anywhere that she could.

When Bellatrix had finished pouring the fluid everywhere possible, she waved her wand and the jug disappeared. She Apperated back to the home of the Death Eater's meetings.

"Consider the deed done, my lord."

* * *

Lucius and Narcissa Apperated to their old home, appearing on the porch. Lucius fumbled for the doorknob on the screen door, and it fell right off its hinges, onto the floor of the porch. He chuckled, but it wore off his face quickly. They made it into the home.

Narcissa breathed in, but choked as the scent reached her nostrils.

"What is that smell?" she asked, plugging her nose.

"No idea." Lucius replied, waving his wand as streams of light orange jets streamed out, masking the scent of the unknown liquid with the odor of vanilla.

"Accio book!" Narcissa said. And the leather-backed book appeared in her hand. She opened it, fishing through the pages.

She found the chapter about boundary spells, and she found the page where it explained how to destroy them. She ripped through the papers quickly.

But the one they wanted was gone from the book. Torn, leaving only the margin where no words remained.

"He's been here, Lucius," she whispered.

"God, we need to get out of here, now!" he cried.

They turned around quickly, twisting the doorknob.

It was locked.

Narcissa dropped the book, and it fell into a puddle of some sort, splashing onto her boot. With her fist she attempted to punch the window out, but it was like hitting a sheet of steel. She made several attempts to break the glass, yelping as she bruised her knuckles.

"Lucius," Narcissa whimpered. "He's outside the house."

In mad attempts to escape the house, she flung her whole body at the window, but the glass did not shatter; it was unrelenting.

"Stop for a second," he said quietly. "Do you hear that sound?"

She listened closely, but it wasn't the noise she heard, but the odor that filled her lungs. It smelled of something burning.

"Fire," she whispered.

Suddenly she saw a peak of bright orange flames overcoming the wall behind them. Narcissa screamed at the top of her lungs as the flames engulfed the room. Not only the fire, but it also took shapes. It was charmed fire.

The glow of the fire brightened the room that held no light whatsoever. It was evil and beautiful, worlds colliding, so mystical, they didn't know whether to stay and watch the bright glow or whether to run.

"Go!" he screamed.

Their legs carried them forward, to where they didn't know. They ended up in the kitchen, still trying to escape the deadly house.

* * *

Outside, Voldemort stood, watching the flames engulf the Manor, laughing maniacally. Bellatrix stood, holding a box of matches in her left hand. One after one, she grabbed a match, scraping it on the side of the box and throwing it into the fire, watching the flames grow bigger. She gained excitement from this.

"I'm inspired by your bloodlust, Bellatrix."

She paused, not to reply, but to grab another match, skinning it on the side of the rectangular box and watching it spiral towards the Manor.

One could hear the blood curdling screams emanating from the building, shouted from the top of their lungs. Bellatrix paused once more. Not to reply, not to grab another match.

The voice in the Manor was Cissy.

She felt as if her chest had been ripped apart, but one sly glance from her lord and she knew that her sister had chosen the other side and gotten in the way of her one and only true love: Voldemort.

She grabbed the match with the tiny orange glow and threw it to the house once more.

* * *

The flames licked the walls, climbing up them as if the fire possessed limbs like a human being. She screamed out, until her throat grew sore. Until tears streamed down her cheeks, rosy from the heat. The two sat on a shelf over the rest of the house, watching the flames reach their feet, catching fire where Narcissa had stepped in the gasoline. She kicked the boot off, watching the flames devour it, as if a shark inhaling a body.

The shelf happened to sit right next to a large bay window, exposing the entire backyard. With one last attempt to survive, she drew her arm back, throwing it forward at the window. The glass shattered into a million pieces, scraping up her arm in the process.

The fire was right next to them, burning her as she slowly caught on fire. Her hair, now emanating with a neon orange glow, burnt to a crisp, turned ink black and fell to the ground. Narcissa grabbed Lucius's arm and jumped through the window, the remaining shards scraped up their bodies badly; leaving large gashes oozing with blood.

They hit the ground hard, right on their backs. She felt the air being knocked out of her. They coughed loudly, maybe from the smoke inhalation, maybe from landing on their backs. All she knew was that she could barely breathe.

They stood in the backyard, watching as the house was illuminated with bright, gasping flames, filling their lungs with the smoke. Grabbing her hand, he led her to the front of the house, to see if the flames had reached the front yet.

Her breath caught in her throat, as the Dark Lord and remaining Death Eaters were standing in the front yard, watching the flames devour the Manor. Heart pounding wildly in her chest, she wondered if Voldemort had seen them. Attempting to Apperate, she caught a glance from the Dark Lord, who now held an infuriated expression on his face.

Before they could evacuate, he had waved his wand, a green jet of light bursting from the tip. Lucius waved it away with his wand.

"_Protego_!" he screamed.

Their spells caught in midair, hanging, and where they met, sparks were ejected, just like bursts of, bright neon lightning.

"On the count of three," Lucius whispered to Narcissa.

"One."

"Two," she replied quietly.

"Three."

He grabbed her hand, Disapperating on the spot, back to the meeting home for the resistance.

"Lucius!" Jugson shrieked, spotting them in their condition.

Their clothes were tattered; their hair blackened and burnt off, covered in soot, red all over, bleeding from cuts and scrapes, covered in dirt.

"Have you retrieved the spell?" Macnair asked, taking in their appearances.

"No," she gasped, sitting down on the floor.

"What happened to you two?" Travers asked.

"He was there before us. He took the spell out of the book. And he locked the house and set it on fire." Lucius murmured, sitting down next to his wife, placing a gentle hand on her spine.

"How did you manage to escape?" Yaxley wondered aloud.

"The charmed fire broke the barrier, I suppose." Narcissa choked out.

"Why don't we use the charmed fire to break the barrier around Hogwarts?"

"Because, Nott, if we were to do that, you know that Fiendfyre is extremely uncontrollable; it could set the whole castle on fire," Lucius answered.

"Once they have finished brewing the Polyjuice Potion, I can become Amycus and find the page and return it to you," Yaxley said.

"The Polyjuice Potion takes a whole month to brew, though," Jugson raged.

"I guess we'll have to wait a month, then." Narcissa spoke, breaking out in a fit of coughs.


	9. Chapter 9: Binding the Heart and Soul

A/N: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS LEMONS. UNDESCRIPTIVE, OF COURSE, BUT IT IS JUST A SHORT CHAPTER OF DRUNA LEMONS. IF YOU DON'T LIKE LEMONS, I APOLOGIZE, BUT THIS STORY IS RATED M FOR A REASON.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, those rights belong to our queen, J.K Rowling!(:

Chapter 9

"Are we going to the Room of Requirement, Draco?" Luna asked softly, as their hands swung at their sides.

"Maybe," Draco said, popping the b.

She giggled as they reached the blank wall across from the tapestry. It formed a door and they walked in.

The room was dimly lit, and filled with candles. The little glowing flames provided just enough light to see the large, burgundy, king-sized bed filling up most of the room. Rose petals adorned the sheets.

"Draco," Luna croaked out.

"If you're not ready, I completely understand," he said honestly, placing his hands on her waist.

"No, of course I want to. But I've just, never done that before," she mumbled. "And I'm probably no good at it."

He laughed. "Don't worry, I'll help you."

Grabbing her hand, he pulled her to the bed, and they sat down gently on the side. Staring into those electric blue eyes that sent shockwaves through his stomach, he cupped her rosy cheek gently, not breaking the eye contact he held with her. She blinked gently, for half a second breaking the eye contact.

Draco softly kissed her lips, pulling her closer to him and placing his hands in her soft blonde waves. He lowered them, placing them on her back, inching them down as they deepened the kiss and the passion and intensity rose, to the point that they could barely breathe. He kissed down her neck, and she tilted her head backwards. He began unbuttoning her shirt and peppering kisses down her throat and collar bone, ripping off her tank top, leaving it in shreds of the floor. Draco worked his way down to her lace bra, ripping it off and leaving it in two on the ground.

She moaned loudly as he removed her leggings in the same manner. He met her lips again, kissing them and biting her lower one. She licked his bottom lip gently as both of his wrapped around her top lip, cradling it in his mouth. With every touch of their hands, she felt the electric zing all over, raising the hairs on the back of her neck. She kicked off her shoes and started unbuttoning his white shirt, throwing it on the ground and letting her hands roam across his bare chest, feeling his chest. She wondered if he was sculpted out of marble, for his features were perfect. Luna wrapped her arms around his full waist, inching his trousers down as he pulled her remaining undergarments off.

She kissed down his chest, pulling his boxers down when she reached them.

He stood as she lay down with her back on the bed. Luna wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling her body upwards to meet his lips and give him the most passionate kiss he had ever experienced.

* * *

Luna woke up in the morning, curling the toes that stuck out of the sheets. She smiled and rolled over, looking right at the man she loved very much.

"Mornin'," Draco greeted.

She laughed. "Good morning to you, too."

Draco looked at the clock next to the bed. "Breakfast just started."

Luna jumped up. She looked at the clothes she had previously worn. "They're all ripped, Draco."

"What can I say?" he eyed her, winking. "It's a good thing this room is stocked for all purposes."

Draco opened up a drawer, throwing her a flannel shirt, a pair of jeans, a tank, and undergarments.

"Wow. I'm going to look like a lumber man."

He laughed. "That's all we got, sorry."

She threw on the outfit, looking down at herself. Luna didn't look _too_ bad, she guessed.

While looking in the mirror, she used it to stare at Draco dressing himself, blushing a lot. He caught her and started tickling her, throwing her down on the bed, as she laughed as hard as she could. When he stopped tickling, he looked down at her.

"I guess we don't have to have breakfast," she whispered.

And once more, their clothes lay in a heap on the floor.

* * *

"We really should go now, or else we'll be late for Potions."

They walked out the door, stomachs rumbling, and set off for their first class of the day.

Once inside Snape's classroom, they took their seats, as people turned around to look at the people late for class. Luckily, Professor Snape had not arrived yet.

"Where have you been, Luna?" Harry turned around, asking.

"Oh, I overslept," she answered quickly, sucking in her breath and hoping Harry wouldn't question it.

"Oh, all right," Harry said. "Where are your robes?"

She looked down at herself. _Crap_. How would she explain this one? "Uh, some of the upperclassmen hid them."

"Wow, they are so rude to you! I can't believe them!"

Harry was really gullible.

"No, it's okay. I'm used to it by now. But I would like them back, as I expect Professor McGonagall will give me detention."

"I'll cover for you," Draco said, chuckling.

Harry looked back and forth between the two, eyeing Draco suspiciously. "Oh… kay."

At that moment, Snape strutted in, slamming the dungeon door behind him. He walked quickly as his robes billowed behind him.

"Get out your Potions books and turn to page one hundred and seventy-two."

Luna pulled her book out of her backpack, slamming it down on the desk and turning to the said page.

"Miss Lovegood, is there a reason you don't have on the required uniform for my class?" Snape asked silkily, not even turning around to look Luna in the eye.

Luna panicked. What kind of excuse would work for Snape? "I apologize, sir. I seem to have misplaced my uniform."

"Well, may I suggest that next time you wear the robes required for this class?"

"Of course, sir,"

"Now, on with the lesson. I apologize for miss Lovegood's interruption. What is the name of the mixture of asphodel leaves and an infusion of Gurdyroots and boomslang skin?"

The class was silent. Hermione was biting her lip to make sure she wouldn't, but finally her hand rose.

"I see nobody has studied. Four page essay, all of you," Snape declared, glaring at Hermione.

"Sir, she had her hand raised! Obviously she knows the answer!" Ron shouted out.

"Detention, Weasley! And for you, Granger, for being an insufferable know-it-all."

Harry stood up angrily. "She's getting detention for raising her hand? I see how it is. Why don't I get detention for holding my pen? Or Luna, for reading her textbook?"

"Sit down, Potter!" Snape snarled. "Detention for the three of you. Anybody else?"

The room was silent. Harry glared at him. "You're just angry because you didn't get the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, aren't you? Well you would have no experience against the defense against it, but obviously you've had lots with the Dark Arts, haven't you, being on Voldemort's side and everything?"

Snape drew his wand from his robes, pointing it straight at Harry. "I would advise you to sit down, Potter, before any more snide remarks fly from your snarky little mouth."

"Do it. Curse me. Dumbledore will have no option but to fire you, and we'll all be happier without you."

Neville grabbed onto Harry's arm. "Harry, you don't want to yell at him. He could get you expelled."

"I don't care, Neville! He needs to learn how to not be a complete arse."

Snape walked quickly to Harry, glaring right at him. Harry automatically wanted to cover his face, but instead he glared back at him. The professor grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him out of the dungeon.

"Any foolish wand-waving and you will be on the train back home with Potter here."

The door slammed shut behind them.

Ron and Hermione were at Luna's side in a half of a second. "He's going to be expelled!"

"I don't think Dumbledore would allow that," Luna said earnestly.

"I don't know. He was talking about You-Know-Who, and that's just a suspicion!" Ron ambled.

"Like I tell you, he might get a lot of detentions, but I doubt Dumbledore will let Snape expel him."

"I agree with Luna. By the way, what in the world are you wearing?" Hermione asked.

Luna sighed, looking down at herself. "Honestly, why does everybody ask that?"

Hermione smiled. "I've never seen that before and your robes are-"

"My robes are what?" Luna asked curiously.

"Oh my god!" Hermione screeched. "You guys-"

Draco and Luna exchanged looks awkwardly.

"Did what?" Ron asked stupidly. "What, oh!"

"No! Of course not!" Draco said.

"Where are her robes then, Malfoy, if you know everything?" Hermione questioned.

"As a matter of fact, Granger, her robes were taken by upperclassmen."

"Oh really?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Yup," Draco and Luna said in unison.

"Luna, come on, you can tell me."

She considered it for a second, but finally she realized she had to tell her. "Hermione, please don't tell anybody about it. Promise me."

"Swear." She answered.

"Okay fine, yes." She nodded. "Yeah. I slept with Draco."

"LUNA!" Ron, Hermione, and Draco yelled.

"Well. It's true. And I'm not sorry about it, either." She said softly.

"I can't believe this, Luna! I would never expect you to do that, especially with Malfoy."

"He has a first name, you know, Ron," Luna replied, irritated.

"When he starts calling me Ron I'll call him Draco."

"Don't expect that day to come soon, Weasel."

"Draco! Be nice to Ronald," Luna demanded.

Just then Snape burst through the door, dragging Harry with him. He threw Harry into his seat as Ron and Hermione scurried into theirs.

"Now, class-" Snape began angrily.

The bell rang and the students began packing their bags.

"I expect you to begin your essays tonight. One foot of parchment on the mixture of asphodel leaves and an infusion of Gurdyroot and boomslang skin and what it does for the common wizard."

The class filed out of the room and walked to their next class.


	10. Chapter 10: Christmas Spirit

**Chapter 10**

One Day Before Christmas Break

"Are you sure you don't want to come home with me, Draco? My father loves having company over! Especially someone I'm romantically involved with," Luna asked, placing a hand on his waist, feeling his marble chest on her fingertips.

"No, I'm fine, really. I bet your dad would ridicule me. Our parents are enemies, in case you've forgotten."

"It's like Romeo and Juliet all over again," she murmured, pulling him closer to her.

"Forbidden love, hot sex," he whispered back, so close she could smell the musky but sweet scent of his breath.

"I don't think I can make it without you there, in my bed every night," she replied, kissing him softly on the lips, running her hands through his soft hair.

"It'll be hard to manage, you know," Draco responded. "You were the best. Ever."

"I'm flattered, really. Especially since I've heard from a handful of Slytherin girls that you are the best."

"Who told you that?" he asked curiously.

"Can't say," she teased.

"Well then. I just have one, simple request," he whispered softly into her neck, pulling on the skin gently.

"And what is that?" she asked between moans of pleasure.

"One more time before I have to sleep alone for a week."

"Draco!" she exclaimed. "We already did that this morning and twice yesterday."

"I know. But I love you, Luna. One last time. Don't you want to?" he asked softly. "The week before that we only did it once."

"I can't deny you. You're just that…sexy," she whispered.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her off the bench and away from the Great Hall, leaving her half-finished dinner sitting on the table to get cold

Draco pinned her to the wall of the corridor, kissing her intensely as her hands ran through his hair. She nibbled on his lip and he granted entrance to his mouth and their tongues battled wildly

"We… should…move…this to…the…Room of…Requirement," she whispered.

He grabbed her hand and they ran up flights of marble stairs. When he realized she wasn't running quickly enough, he grabbed her and pulled her onto his back, giving her a piggyback ride up the several stairways. She giggled loudly, afraid of him dropping her, but she trusted him so much.

When they reached the Room of Requirement, he threw her on the bed, straddling her waist and laying kisses all over her body.

* * *

"Draco, I have to pack," she said, stuffing her fancy clothes into her trunk for Christmas. She picked up a burgundy sweater, holding it up in the air. It was her father's favorite on her, so she always wore it around him.

Draco was kissing her neck, nibbling on the skin gently. She was getting worked up, her heart beating fast in her chest, her breathing quickening with each kiss. She felt the electricity raise the hairs on her arms, sending shivers down her spine.

When she was finally done she locked her trunk and stood up, grabbing it and walking out of her dormitory with Draco behind her, his arm wrapped around her waist.

When they reached the train she dropped her trunk and hugged him tightly. When he pulled away she kissed him softly on the lips.

"It's going to be really hard to bear without you. You have to owl me every single day, all right? I know it's only a week but it's the longest time I've spent from you since I met you. So, merry Christmas."

She pulled an intricately wrapped gift out of her trunk, handing it to him. She grabbed another from her jacket, just an envelope.

"Wait to open it, alright?" she asked softly.

He grabbed a package from his jacket pocket. "I was going to wait and owl it to you, but here you go. Open it on the train."

"I love you, Draco," she said.

"I love you too, Luna."

She climbed onto the train and grabbed a compartment where she could wave goodbye to him as the train began moving, beside Neville, Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Fred and George strutted in, Lee on their heels.

Draco walked back into the castle, hearing the snow crunch beneath his feet, stuffing the envelope into his pocket. The snow was still falling on him. He shivered from the cold, watching his breath fog up in the air in front of him.

The train went into action, blasting out a loud horn as the rusty wheels started to turn on the tracks. It blew out black smoke from the foghorn, and then Luna's beautiful face started to glide away from him. All he wanted to do was chase after her and jump on the train with her.

Draco watched the train disappear from his view. The whole train was gone by the time he went inside. He finally just trudged back in angrily, missing her so much.

He shook the snow off of him in the corridor. He was immediately warmed by the fire that blazed in the fancy goblets that adorned the burgundy-painted walls.

He angrily walked down to the dungeons and stormed into the common room.

Walking in, he took out both gifts, deciding which to open first. He decided he would be more excited for her words, not the gift, so he saved it for last, grabbing the package and pulling it open.

It was a shoebox. He pulled the box open and unfolded what was in there.

It was the leather jacket he had lent to her in Hogsmeade. It smelled of her, and he breathed the scent in, realizing it was the perfect gift. The fragrance could be its own perfume; it smelled so good. Just like her. A hint of lime, maybe a splash of vanilla, plus a a sprinkle of cucumber melon. All he wanted was to smell it forever.

Excitedly he ripped the envelope open and pulled out the piece of paper inside.

_**Dear Draco,**_

_** I know you're probably disappointed by this gift, but you know that things are running tight and I had no money to spare. I'm so sorry. If you don't remember, a month ago in Hogsmeade you lent me that jacket because I was cold. It brings back so many memories for me; I'm not sure about you though.**_

_** This has been the best two months of my life. And I'm so anguished that we could not spend the holidays together. I've never felt this way, and I never will with another person, because you make me happier than anybody else in the entire world could. I love you so much, with all of my heart. And I have never been happier that I have done everything I can with you, because every time you touch me, I still feel that electricity that I felt the first time you brushed my hand in Potions class. I wonder if you remember that, too. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me, and you are my other half, totally and completely. And I know I haven't known you for all that long, but it feels like you've been there with me since I could barely talk. You hold my heart, please be careful with it. Hopefully, I have yours. If you truly love me, I'll make sure to be extra careful with yours.**_

_**Have a merry Christmas, my love.**_

_** Love,**_

_** Luna**_

He reread the letter over and over, holding the last bit of Luna left in his hand. It even smelled of her. Draco missed her so much already, even if she had only been gone half an hour. He hadn't spent that much time away from her, except for classes they didn't share. The last months had brought him out of evil, out of that horrible, awful peril he knew was waiting for him on the last day of his sixth year. That's not what he wanted. Of course not. All he wanted was Luna, everyday, all of her. Because she was perfect, and it made him feel better about himself. She was everything he wished to be, and everyday he hoped that someday, sometime he would be as good as Luna Lovegood was.

Draco had even gotten close to her friends. Well, the Weaslette, at least. Luna hated when he called her that, but honestly he forgot her name a lot. Was it Jenny? No, no, oh yes, Ginny. That sounded about right. He had greeted Longbottom, but apparently the nerd held grudges from first year when he had thrown his Remembrall and Potter had to retrieve it.

And Luna had even shaken hands with his best mate, Blaise Zabini. He was dating Draco's ex-girlfriend Pansy, and they were actually pretty serious. He wondered how he stood Pansy; the stuck-up little thing sure could get into your business. But he was happy that Blaise was happy, and Blaise was happy that Draco was happy, no matter how much he disliked Luna.

That night, Draco couldn't sleep at all. He wanted to roll over and see Luna lying next to him, and cradle her in his arms, kiss her and make her happy. This was going to be a very long week.

He woke up in the morning and got dressed to go down to breakfast. Sitting down at the table, he looked up to where all the professors were dining. In particular he watched Severus Snape, whose food was untouched and his eyes directed at Draco. Uncomfortably he scooped some scrambled eggs onto his plate, swirling them around on the ceramic, not feeling hungry enough to eat them.

As he prepared to get up, Blaise, with Pansy in tow sat down right next to him. She situated herself on his lap.

"Hey, Draco!" Blaise said, clapping hands with his best mate.

"Hi, Blaise. Pansy," he said respectfully, taking a large sip of his pumpkin juice.

"Hey, Draco! How's your morning going?" Pansy asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes and leaning down low to give him a peek. He looked away, taking a big forkful of eggs now.

Blaise grabbed a couple pieces of bacon, crunching down on them.

"How's it going for you, mate?" he asked Draco.

"Fine, thanks."

"Come on, man, cheer up. She'll be back in a week," Blaise said, patting his back.

"Yeah I know," he said. "I think I'm going to go to the Owlery."

"Alright."

Draco grabbed his stuff and strutted up to the Owlery, grabbing a piece of parchment and a quill and ink from his bag.

_**Dear Luna,**_

_** Did you get my gift? I hope you liked it; I spent a lot of time picking it out. I miss you a lot and I love you so much. I couldn't sleep last night because you weren't there. I know it sounds cheesy but I can't sleep without you. How's your father? Tell him I send him my best wishes, but don't mention the last name. I think we should wait to drop that bomb on him.**_

_** Your gift was perfect. I loved it so much. It's better than anything you could've bought me, I promise. And your letter meant so much to me. I put it in the pocket right next to my heart because it's the last part of you and in my heart you will remain. (Corny, I know.) But it's perfect. I do remember that day. It brings a lot of memories back to me. Like how I couldn't find the right tux to buy because I didn't know which one would make you happiest. And the day after at the ball, you were so beautiful; I couldn't keep my hands off you. That was the best day of my life, aside from the day I met you and the first time I kissed you. Plus the first time we slept together. That was a very happy time. I really, really, really miss you. I know this week will be really drawn-out. I love you.**_

_** Love,**_

Draco

He rolled up the parchment and tied it to his owl's leg, sending him off to Luna's home.

* * *

Luna arrived at King's Cross Station, 9 ¾. She was surprised that her father was not waiting for her there. He must have forgotten, as he often did. It was okay, she just called a taxi, waving her arms around until one of the bright yellow vehicles stopped and she awkwardly ran into the back, slamming the door behind her.

"Hi miss. Where to, on this fine day?" the driver asked kindly from the front seat.

She told him the address.

"That's pretty far, ma'am," the driver murmured.

"I have money."

He began driving all the way across London, through the busy streets, packed with Muggles in their cars, speeding down the roads. Luna had never been in a cab. Her father had thought cars were only for Muggles, little did he know that they were actually intelligent beyond Muggles' normal thinking capacity. But Xenophilius did own an old Ford truck to haul Luna around the Muggles so they did not suspect any magic usage.

She curled up with her back against the door as the snowflakes drizzled down lightly. She pulled a little throw blanket from her trunk; happy to see she remembered to pack it. Curling up under the blanket, she felt the hear hug her. Closing her eyes, Luna drifted off, dreaming of her with Draco, just peaceful, happy dreams.

Forty minutes later the driver pulled up in front of her home, snow pounding down furiously.

"Ma'am, wake up."

She jumped from her sleep, dumbstruck for a second.

"Ma'am, I will need compensation," the driver said angrily as he held his greasy hand out to her, waiting for her to place the coins in it

"Oh yes, of course," Luna said, remembering where she was. And it got her to wondering why her father had forgotten her.

She pulled the last coins she had from her pocket and counted them as she pulled them out. It was barely enough to cover it, and it was the last Muggle money she had. She placed them in the driver's palm.

"Thank you, sir," Luna murmured graciously, tucking her frizzy white blonde hair behind her ear as she stuffed her throw blanket back in he trunk.

Luna climbed out of the cab, pulling her trunk with her. She waved to the cab as it pulled out of the driveway. She crunched through the snow, bundling her winter coat tighter around her body as she opened up the front door, closing it behind her.

"Dad, I'm home!" she called out as she hung her coat on the hook by the door, setting her trunk down as she waited for her dad to come running toward her with a hug waiting.

"Dad, are you here?" she called out as she walked into the living room from the foyer.

Immediately she saw the overturned loveseat and the fallen cabinets, and some wood from the ceiling had been ripped off and it scattered the floor. The rug was ripped in pieces and the table's legs had snapped off. The railing from the stairway had shattered into tons of pieces, littering the floor of her home

"Dad, what happened in here?" she called out. Looking around, she saw no sign of her father, who was usually over excited to see his young daughter.

Walking slowly into the kitchen, she saw a sight that sent shivers down her spine, and a bloodcurdling scream escaped from her throat as she dropped to the ground, kneeling over her father's dead body.


	11. Chapter 11: Losing Everything

**A/N: I GOT A MESSAGE ASKING ME TO EXPLAIN WHY FRED AND GEORGE ARE STILL GOING TO SCHOOL EVEN THOUGH THEY GRADUATED LAST YEAR. WELL I ACCIDENTLY DELETED THIS PART FROM THE FIRST CHAPTER BUT THEY LEFT BEFORE IMPORTANT EXAMS SO THEY HAD TO RETAKE THEIR SEVENTH YEAR. I JUST LOVE THEM SO MUCH I CAN'T LEAVE THEM OUT. ESPECIALLY FRED! (FANGIRLING)**

Chapter 11

Luna stared at the marble headstone, tracing the letters engraved into it with the tip of her finger. She placed the flowers she had purchased from the market over her name, which sat at the very bottom. Then she walked over, placing the rest of the flowers on her mother's headstone.

After a while of staring at the rock, staring at her lost father, she walked back to the house. Inside she had been cleaning up and fixing things up. Luna kept her father's things around, so as to not forget about him.

She had fixed the couch, repaired the tables, put the railing back together, and sealed up the rug. A glass vase that was shattered was put back together, but the design was not as intricate as it had been before. She had done this all with her wand, so it was a little messy, but it looked like home to her. Besides, whom was she supposed to impress? She didn't care who judged her anymore. When people had gone through the emotional distress of losing both of your parents and handled it better than she herself had, they could judge her.

She crashed on the couch, throwing her head into her hands. She was supposed to be Luna, the carefree, free-spirited girl. But sometimes you need to be serious, and not have to talk about Nargles and Wrackspurts every second of the day.

The previous day Rita Skeeter had stopped by to interview her about her father. Luna had simply ushered her out of the house, not even saying a word. Although, the photographer had snapped a couple photographs of her.

She hadn't spoken a word in days or even eaten. She hadn't slept, either. The strange thing is, despite how heavy her eyelids seemed to be, her brain hadn't wanted to sleep. Most nights she stared at the blank wall in her bedroom, lights off, not even crying. Just thinking.

Today she had to take a cab back to the train station. Hogwarts was her home. Of course she would go back. But when she was there she would have to take all the pitying stares and hushed conversations they think she can't hear. And everybody would be so sugary sweet to her. Luna would rather not be a charity case. Why did this happen? Why couldn't she just have gone back to when everybody treated her like a normal person, and not like a sad little orphan?

She didn't want people to feel sorry for her. She didn't want people to treat her differently just because she had experienced something like that.

Luna Lovegood, the orphan.

Rufus Scrimgeour had stopped by to pay his dues and figure out the cause of his death. The Minister had said that it would have had to be the Killing Curse; there were no marks on his body, no wounds, no sign of injury. But there was no tracing a spell like that one. They would mark her father's death as a mystery. She was glad. She didn't want to know what happened. All she wanted was for him to rest in piece.

She had been so selfish and childish at Hogwarts; she never even cared enough to send her father an owl to say that she loved him. Luna had been so wrapped up in Draco that she had forgotten about the person who had been there with her since the beginning: her very own father.

It hurt too much to give in to the pain. She felt if she pushed it to the back of her mind then it wouldn't hurt as much. But it did. It truly did and she knew once she got back to Hogwarts she wouldn't be alone.

Luna found it odd that it had only been a week since she found her father's dead body on the floor of the kitchen. It had been years, hadn't it? She would've lost that bet. Because every second dragged by so slowly. She felt as though now, she had matured. She had learned to handle something like this. And now she could take on the things she would have never thought she could do.

She had never owled Draco about his gift. She hadn't even opened it. Guiltily she pulled the tiny present out of her coat pocket and opened up the jewelry box.

It was a beautiful diamond necklace, with a shining gem in the center and two sapphires on either side of it. The chain was white gold. Her necklace just reached her bosom. As she held the real diamond between her thumb and index finger, it popped open to reveal a picture of her and Draco, her being held in his arms in the Great Hall while they ate lunch. The picture was taken by Colin Creevey. Luna was unaware of the fact that Draco had paid him to capture a picture of them randomly.

She hooked it around her neck and automatically felt a hundred times better. Grabbing her trunk, she took a deep breath and walked outside, trampling through the grass. The snow had melted off, exposing the jade green grass underneath. She crunched forward, until she was in the graveyard once more.

"Goodbye, dad. Goodbye, mum," she said, looking down sadly at the two graves that sat so close to each other. "I was hoping you would get to meet your grandchildren someday. But that's okay. Because you'll be watching over us. And I'm happy that you two could be together once again. I just didn't know it would be so soon. You would love your grandchildren, I just know it. I would too. You guys raised me so well. And I know some times things were really hard, and you used your last coins to make me happy. Thank you for always being there for me."

She knelt down, patting the dirt above her father's coffin softly. It had not grown the grass back since his burial. "I love you, dad."

She patted the grass above her mother's grave. "I love you, mum."

With tears in her electric blue eyes, she stood up, walking down the gravel path to the main road where she could catch a taxi. The rocks crackled under her boots with each step. When she got on the train she would read all the letters Draco had sent her. She felt guilty she had not done it before. But she had been so busy with the funeral and the cleaning of the house.

Luna looked up into the sky, with the bright blue, and the buttercup yellow, bright white, all the colors mixing together. How long would it take it to walk to the main road? It felt as if it had been years. Luna felt the cold breeze on her neck. She tightened the thick white scarf she had wrapped around it.

Finally she looked up from the road and realized she was on the main one, where cars were going as quickly as they could, all in a rush to get to their destination. Luna signaled a taxi and climbed in. Luckily it was a different one than before.

"Where to?"

"King's Cross Station."

He roughly stepped on the gas pedal, launching them forward, but since it was early morning Luna had a harder time falling asleep. It was very bright out; Luna slid on her sunglasses and laid her head back on the cloth seat.

She examined the seat she sat in, spotted with stains and crumbs. She liked to think that each stain represented a passenger of the cab, and without one you'd be forgotten easily.

Luna grabbed her canteen of pumpkin juice and took a small sip before letting a tiny drop fall onto the interior of the cab. She examined it proudly next to the other stains, smiling for the first time in a week. Now she knew that Luna Lovegood would never be forgotten.

"Where ya from?" the cab driver growled. He was much more rough than the first one. The driver had a five o'clock shadow on his chin and large eyebrows that knitted together when he was growling. The way he pursed his lips reminded Luna of a bulldog.

She told him the address quietly, picking a thread from her jeans.

"That's far from the Station. At least forty minutes," he said roughly, fishing through his pocket and grabbing a pack of cigarettes out. He opened it out, grabbing one and tossing Luna a lighter.

"Light me."

She immediately wanted to jump out of the car. Luna hated the smell of smoke. It was the exact scent that filled the room the day her mum died. And now every time that odor hit her lungs she saw that image in her mind, branding her like a whip laced with poison.

She sighed, watching the tiny glow that flew from the lighter burst into being and slid it forward, lighting the tip of his cigarette.

"Thanks," he muttered gruffly, opening the window and holding the cigarette outside while it wasn't touching his lips.

And it hit her again. That same exact memory. It didn't hurt as much as it did when it had just happened, but now it was connected with her father's death. It brought that memory to her, and all she wanted was to scream out loud.

Luna hadn't slept since the day in the cab, and her eyelids grew so heavy. It felt like heaven to close them. Maybe if she did she would fall asleep and not have to smell the smoke from the driver, not have to see her mom point the wand at the door, murmuring a spell she had invented herself to heal cracks in wood. But then it hit the door, bouncing back to her. The yellow burst of light hit her square in the chest, knocking her down onto her back. Luna had rushed over to help her up, thinking she had only fallen down, so it was okay. But then a scream escaped her lips as her last heartbeat faintly sounded, and her breathing stopped. She was dead in her daughter's arms.

The car glided smoothly, feeling like a rocking chair to Luna. She remembered vaguely of her mother holding Luna on her lap in the old rocking chair as it glided back and forth. And she would read a story to her, like the story of the Three Brothers. That was always Luna's favorite one.

She forcefully closed her eyes to stop these haunting memories from searing through her brain, but to no avail, as each one hit her it became more painful.

It was four years after Luna's mother had passed. Her and her father sat gathered around the Christmas tree. Things were running pretty tight that year, and her father had used the last of his money to pay for Luna's gift.

She tore through the wrapping paper, not looking up once to see her father's face, hoping to God that Luna was happy with the gift he had picked for her.

Opening the box, she pulled out the burgundy sweater. She examined it for a second.

"I like it, dad. Thank you."

She watched his face fall. He looked disappointed as she put down the sweater.

"You're welcome, sweetie," he said sadly, standing up to make tea.

Luna clenched her temples in the taxicab, feeling the awful memories burn through her brain, a fire that could not be put out until every happy memory was destroyed.

Three years after Luna's mum had died, she had been in her room packing to get on the train to Hogwarts for her first year. She had walked downstairs to grab her robes from the laundry quietly.

Her father was sitting on the couch, clutching a picture of his late wife to his chest, sobbing to himself, rocking his body back and forth as the weeps shook him.

Instead of clearing her throat to let her father aware of her presence, she snuck back upstairs, telling herself to get her robes later.

Each memory hurt so badly, she wanted to cry. But as the last one took over her, she screamed out loud, and not just a shriek, but a high-pitched bloodcurdling scream as she clutched her temples.

The driver slammed on his brakes in the middle of the highway at the sound of her scream, turning his back to the windshield to stare at her in the backseat.

"What is it, girl?" he asked.

Just as she let out another terrifying scream, the bright yellow taxi behind them slammed on their brakes, but not in time, and they slammed into the back of Luna and the driver, pushing them forward into oncoming traffic. The glass shattered in the back window, and the crunch of metal pulled her from her horrifying memories. She tasted blood as her body flew forward into the back of the driver's seat, twisting her leg around painfully, ripping her jeans apart. Her heart beat quickly in her chest, and once she hit the back of his seat, she flew backward, cutting her head on the glass that was shattered from the back window.

Her breathing quickened as she pushed the door open as fast as she could. Jumping out of the car, she fell down, staring down at her bloodied leg.

It had gashes running down it, ripping through her jeans. The bone of her knee jutted out, and she knew immediately she had broken it.

Crawling forward, Luna used all her might to pull open the driver's door, grabbing the gruff-looking driver and ripping him out of the car.

The crippling pain finally registered in her head, and she fell to her knees, bloodstained and cut up. She gasped, finding it hard to breathe through the huge ball of blood in her throat. She felt her teeth with her tongue. She was missing a few back ones.

The driver came to, and ran to pull the driver of the back car out. She opened her eyes at his touch and hugged him, pulling him into a kiss. Luna stared in shock at this twist of events, but then her eyes went to the identical rings on their left ring finger.

Oh God. They were married. She had caused a car accident between a husband and wife. They probably had kids, too. She could've killed them. it was all her fault.

She got up as Muggles from other cars flocked to her to see if she was okay.

"Oh my God, are you okay, miss? Miss?" one woman asked after jumping from her electric blue smart car.

"I'm fine. I'm fine!" she shook them off of her. "I need to catch my train. I'm okay!"

A man in scrubs screeched his car to a stop and jumped out, feeling Luna's leg. "Ma'am, this is definitely broken. We need to get this fixed."

"No! I'll fix it later," she said, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I need to catch my train."

"I can drive you to the train station," one woman suggested, pointing to her white minivan.

"Please, I just need to get there," Luna begged.

The woman pulled her trunk from the taxicab that seemed like it was about to catch fire and put it in the passenger seat of her van.

She looked like a middle-aged woman, possibly in her thirties. She was a bit plump, with short brown hair and motherly clothes on. Luna knew that no Muggle would be a threat to her.

Luna climbed into the seat and the woman did also. She took off from the scene of the car accident.

"Do you feel okay? Can I get your name?" the woman asked kindly.

"Yes, and Luna."

"Well, Luna. That looked like a very close call. You should consider yourself lucky."

"Yes, I should. Shouldn't I?" she asked bitterly. Lucky, ha. She was sure the woman would feel lucky if her father died and she just caused a car accident because she wasn't strong enough to keep her bad memories to herself.

"You should definitely see the doctor about that leg."

"Uh, yeah. I will."

About ten minutes later they arrived at King's Cross Station. The woman stopped the car and unlocked the door for Luna.

"Thank you, ma'am. So much. I really appreciate it," Luna said, grabbing her trunk and closing the door.

"Be safe, Luna!" the woman called, and she waved to her as the woman drove away.

She made it to the brick wall and ran in when no Muggles were looking. There, the big red train awaited her. She climbed on, realizing that her father was no longer there to say goodbye. A tear welled in her eye at this thought.

Ron, Harry, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, Fred, and George were waiting for her in the compartment. Harry buried her in a hug, pulling her so close to him.

"Luna! I'm so sorry about your father. Wait, what happened to you? Are you okay?"

"Oh, thank you, Harry. How did you hear about that? And my taxi crashed. I'm fine."

"Luna! A taxi crash? Oh my God, what happened?" Hermione asked, rushing up to Luna to give her a hug.

"No, it was nothing. The car behind us rear-ended us. No big deal."

"But your leg! Look at it. It's obviously broken. You need to see Madam Pomfrey," Hermione stated matter-of-factly.

"It's okay. I mean, she barely tapped us. I promise it's nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," Luna said, sitting down in the compartment and elevating her leg so none of them could see. The last thing she wanted was to be a drama-queen.

"How are you, Luna?" Neville asked kindly.

"Oh, great, Neville."

"You don't have to pretend with us. I mean, just let it out. Please, Luna. You'll feel much better once you've done so," Hermione told her gently.

"You guys don't want to hear about my problems," Luna whispered softly.

"We do. Come on, your father just died. You must be feeling something," Ginny told her, receiving a smack on the arm from Ron.

"What was that for?" she asked, rubbing her arm.

"Her dad just died. It's not a brilliant idea to remind her," he said, hushed.

"You didn't have to smack me."

Ron rolled his eyes at his sister.

"I bet you'll feel better once you see your pretty little Malfoy," Harry told her disgustedly. No matter how close Luna was to him, he still hadn't gotten over his childhood hate for him, and Harry suspected they would never be friends.

"I wish you two could get along better."

"I don't think that's ever gonna happen, Luna. He might be all sugary and sweet to you, but he's still a right foul git to the rest of us," Ron cut in.

"Let's not upset Luna any farther, guys. You have no idea what she's going through," Hermione declared, throwing her hand down on the table in the compartment.

"You're right, Mione," Harry said, patting Luna on the back. "We're all here for you if you need us. I know what it's like to lose family; I lost Sirius. And my parents, but I had only known them for a total of two months."

"Thanks, Harry."

And the train went into motion. Luna clutched the necklace wrapped around her neck, reminding her of Draco. She knew once she was in his arms again, she would feel so much safer. Better. Loved.

Since her father's death, she had felt so alone. Now Luna felt, surrounded by her close friends, like there were people in the world that cared if she was okay. That cared if Luna was feeling anguished about her father's death. But she had cried out all her tears. She had mourned her father. Now it was time to move on and live her life. It felt like she didn't care about her dad, since he had given everything he possibly could and worked hard for Luna for fifteen whole years, and now she was moving on after a week. Her father wouldn't want her to spend her life mourning him, would he? He would want Luna to live and be happy again.

But the constant thought that plagued her, no matter how hard she tried to push it to the back of her mind, it was still there, all the time. A selfish thought, really.

What if Voldemort had killed her father? Perhaps as a warning, for her to take a step away from Draco. It would make sense. But how would he find out about her and Draco? The suspicions about Professor Snape were just that: suspicions. Dumbledore trusted him, and Luna looked up to Dumbledore as almost a second father, so therefore Luna trusted Snape too. Even though sometimes the man was a little hard to get along with.

What if it were Draco whom had let it slip to his parents? It wouldn't make sense, not even a bit. Why would Draco pretend to like her, just to get her killed?

She couldn't think of anybody else who would tell.

"Luna?" Ron snapped her out of her deep thought.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Ron. What were you saying?"

"I just, I saw the article in the Daily Prophet. I was wondering if you wanted to see it. It's downright outrageous, I have half a mind to go down there and strangle Rita Skeeter for ever publishing something like this."

Luna grabbed the paper from his hand, scattering the page for looks of her last name. She spotted it and began reading.

_**Tragic Death of Slightly Mental Wizard**_

_**By Rita Skeeter**_

_**It has been proven that Xenophilius Lovegood has fallen dead on Saturday, December 25, of a Killing Curse, but there are no suspects. Mr. Lovegood was a known member of the wizarding community, and known to be a bit strange. Lovegood was the writer and publisher of the **_**Quibbler**_** magazine, and his daughter, Luna Lovegood, was the seller of this magazine.**_

_**Luna Lovegood was the first person to spot Xenophilius dead, leading some Ministry workers to believe she might have done the Killing Curse on her father. I, Rita Skeeter, believe this accusation fully. When I stopped by the house of the Lovegoods, the daughter, Luna, ushered me from the home before I could ask her a simple question, leading some to believe that the daughter is the murderer and afraid to be questioned.**_

Luna threw down the paper on the table, ripping it in shreds before even finishing the article.

"How could she write something so demented? That's absolutely horrific."

"I know, Luna. But we all know it's not true and that's what matters," Hermione told her gently, waving her wand. The pieces disappeared from the table, going off into who knows where.

"I don't want people to think," she paused, swallowing a lump in her throat. "That I am not open to talking about it. I would love to talk about it, but only with someone who cares enough to listen."

"We will listen," George said, placing his arm down and leaning his head on it, grinning widely.

"Yeah, talk to us," Fred responded.

Luna saw a wide smile from Hermione to Fred, and a little something in their eyes. They looked each other in the eye, and the little glance lasted a tiny bit longer than it should have. Both of them had gone to the Burrow over Christmas Break, maybe something had happened between them while they were there.

With a sigh, Luna jumped into the tale.

* * *

There he was, his arms wide open, waiting for her to jump into them. She did, she had been waiting a long time to do this. He was warm and inviting, and she loved the scent of him.

"Draco, I'm so sorry I didn't owl you back! I was so busy planning the funeral, I didn't have enough time to send you a letter."

"No, no, I understand. I'm so sorry about your father, Luna. I'm so sorry," he whispered into her shoulder.

"I'm fine now. Really. Though my leg really hurts. I think I'm gonna go to the hospital wing."

At that moment, Crabbe walked by, spotting Draco. He patted Draco's arm.

"Two ladies, eh?" he asked, winking at him.

There was a long pause where Luna turned to Draco. "What does he mean?"

"She doesn't know 'bout Pansy? Well, I wouldn't tell either, keep it to myself that I get to shag

two of 'em in one week, huh?" he laughed, hysterically, walking away.

"You slept with Pansy?" she asked quietly, dropping his hand. "I thought that you, of all people

would stay loyal. Was I stupid to think that a guy would respect me enough to stay alone for one week and not sleep with another girl?"

"Luna, you don't understand! I missed you so much that I got a little drunk at the Christmas Feast, and the next thing I knew I was waking up next to Pansy."

"At some point in your head, you thought it would be a good idea to cheat on me with Pansy. At some point, you thought I wouldn't mind? How long has this been going on? What am I, your stupid little sideshow? Only there so you don't have to sleep alone? I thought, that when I met you, you would be loyal, and that you would never hurt me. Is it wrong to believe that I can be happy for once? Is it wrong to think that maybe, for one second in my life, something good goes right? Am I that stupid, Draco?"

"I am so, so, sorry, Luna. I never should have-"

"You know what, it doesn't matter what you say now. Nothing that comes out of your mouth is going to change what you did while I was gone. Nothing's going to change the fact that you have disrespected me. You can't take back what you did. Hermione was right, you are a right foul git, and you will never stop being an asshole."

She dropped his hand, watching it swing to his side. A tear slid down her cheek as she limped away, staring down at her broken leg.

Suddenly a crippling pain seared through her knee and she dropped down on the floor, screaming in pain. Draco ran to her and attempted to pick her up, but she shook him off quickly, not wanting to see how hard she was crying.

"I don't need you to help me. I don't need you. I don't love you. I wasn't enough for you. I hope she was worth it," she said, turning to him.

Scrambling up to the best of her abilities, she limped away, feeling the hole punched through her chest. She didn't know where she was going. She hoped the hospital wing.

"I'm sorry, Luna."

If she had turned around to answer him, she would have seen the single tear slide down his cheek as he watched her walk away from him.

He turned around, angry and heartbroken, his fists clenched at his sides.

Staring at the wall, he smashed his fist into it as hard as he could, feeling his knuckles snap.

"Dammit!" he yelled loudly, sliding his fingers through his silky hair.

He trotted off to his dorm room, angry at himself, angry at Pansy, angry at everything.

* * *

She limped through the hallway, crying and feeling the sting of losing him. At some point she fell against the wall, holding her head in her hands and shrieking. Breathing loudly, she knew she had to pick herself up. At that moment, Hermione wondered by, on her way to the library.

"Luna! What are you doing here? You scared me."

"Hospital wing," Luna whispered.

"Do you need help? I can help you there, if you like. What's wrong?"

"I really don't want to talk about it right now."

"Alright. Well come on," Hermione murmured, picking Luna up from the corridor and wrapping an arm around her waist, dragging her from the corridor. Blood dripped from the gashes that adorned her legs, perhaps from the shattered glass of the window. That's how her heart felt: shattered.

Because Luna was too trusting. She didn't realize that there are some people out there whose intentions are perhaps not as pure as her own. Some people who would play with Luna's feelings and then watch them shatter on the concrete. Some people who made all the wrong choices in life, and lost the ones who they loved because they were impatient and bored with her. Luna felt like some people didn't realize how bad it is when someone you love loves someone else. You thought it was meant to be, and that your love was perfect, but then find out you weren't good enough for them. That you were a fool, and you cared too much.

Hermione set Luna down on a cot, as Madam Pomfrey walked by.

"Another broken leg? I'll go get the supplies," Poppy said, rushing away.

"Now tell me what's wrong."

"Draco. Pansy. He cheated on me. He doesn't love me anymore and I was a fool to love him. God, I'm so stupid! How could I be such an idiot, Hermione? He never loved me," Luna said through rivers of tears that danced down her cheeks.

"You are not stupid, Luna. You are brilliant, and beautiful. And some guys can't appreciate this. I'm so sorry about Draco. But you will find someone better, I promise. Who loves you more than anything. Someday, Luna. He was an idiot for not loving you."

"How come everything in my life is turning out wrong? I thought I was supposed to have a happy ending," she cried.

"Everybody has a happy ending. Even Cinderella had to scrub some floors before she met her prince."

Luna had not heard that story, but the meaning rang clear.


	12. Chapter 12: Save What We Can

**AN: PM ME IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE STORY!(:**

Chapter 12

"Finished!" Mulciber yelled, holding up a large goblet.

"It's finished?" Narcissa rushed over, taking a look into it.

"Yes, Mrs. Malfoy," Avery said quietly.

"Lucius, we need to learn how to become Amycus."

"You wish for me to teach? Well, all right." He strutted to the front of the room, clearing his throat and adjusting his long blonde hair.

"The first thing you must learn, is when you have a spy." He turned around, trotting into the hallway, pulling his wand from his pocket.

"_Stupefy_!"

Amycus's body dropped to the floor and Lucius dragged him in.

"I knew he was there the whole time. I've been feeding him false information for him to give to the Dark Lord."

Lucius ripped a handful of hairs from Amycus's head, placing them in the Polyjuice Potion and hearing the sound of it simmering into the potion.

"That should do the trick. Ah, you're waiting for the next instruction. Well, the second step is not trying too hard to be that person. Relax, and let your mind do the work. Don't panic if you feel as though he suspects you. Calm yourself and ask him what in the world he is speaking of."

Everyone in the room nodded, but the only person who needed these instructions was the person in the very front, Yaxley.

"Now, Yaxley. If he finds out, grab the page and run. Apperate as soon as you can. We're switching homes, obviously because he has located us here. The next one will be all the way across the forest. He will not suspect us there."

Yaxley nodded silently, grabbing a flask from the inside pocket of his jacket and scooping some of the potion from the goblet into it.

"Take more than that, Yaxley. You can't drink the potion in front of the Dark Lord; he will suspect it's Polyjuice."

Yaxley sipped the golden contents of the flask, placing it back in his pocket. Suddenly he shrunk down at least a foot, and his ink black hair lightened itself to chestnut. His skin tone darkened, and eyes grew, and their gray depths suddenly became haze, like pouring a bottle of ink on a piece of white parchment. His nose shrunk down considerably, turning round on the tip. Freckles dotted his nose and his jaw line. His thin lips protruded until they were the size of Amycus's.

"Alright. Go in the closet and switch clothes with Amycus."

Yaxley dragged Carrow's unconscious body into the closet, and they heard the sounds of clothes being ruffled. When he returned from the closet, Lucius held up Amycus by the hairs on his head.

"What should we do with you, eh? I could kill you. But then the potion would wear off. So what do we do?" he pondered a second. "_Petrificus Totalus_."

His body froze in that position, and Lucius threw him into the closet, pulling Amycus's wand from his pocket. Lucius locked the closet with magic and turned to Yaxley. Or Amycus. It was hard to tell.

"Voice check," Avery demanded of Yaxley.

"Hi, my name is Amycus," Yaxley said in a low, deep voice, walking like a stocky man.

"Good job," Mulciber said.

"Are you ready?" Lucius asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"Remember, your goal is to get the missing page from the book and come back. As soon as you can."

"I can do this," Yaxley told himself, taking a deep breath and Apperating to the Malfoy Manor, where Voldemort was sitting at the table, waiting for Amycus's arrival.

"Ah, Amycus. What news do you bring to me?" Voldemort asked, a cruel smile lighting up his face.

Yaxley had not prepared to use fake information. He scoured his brain for something fake to tell the Dark Lord. "My lord, they have not said anything that we don't already know."

He concentrated hard, thinking of another excuse. His mind was blank. He was panicking. He wanted to run his hands through his hair, but Yaxley had never seen Amycus do this, so it was not something he should do.

He relaxed quickly, breathing in and out, allowing oxygen into his brain.

"Really, Amycus?" He asked, turning his head to the side. "Is this true?"

"I'm offended, my lord! I thought you would believe me of all people. Do you not trust me?" Yaxley asked.

"Of course I believe you, Amycus," Voldemort said calmly. "I know of the one object Lucius needs to succeed his mission of evacuating Draco from Hogwarts."

He pulled a page from the inside of his robe, holding it up in the air. "This page holds the information to break the boundaries around Hogwarts. Now usually, I would ask Bellatrix to complete a mission of this sort. But Bellatrix did a fantastic job with her last mission, so now I am trusting of someone else. But you have been such help to me, Amycus. I trust you to complete this duty. You must burn this page."

"My lord, I am honored, at the least. I would be happy to complete this duty."

Bellatrix crossed her arms over her chest, making the pouty face she was known for. Voldemort eyed her caringly and then looked back at Yaxley.

"Thank you, Amycus," the Dark Lord said, smiling an insanely wicked smile. "The first time I tried to kill those two, they escaped my grasp. This time, they will not."

He delicately handed the page to Yaxley, not crumpling or wrinkling it in the slightest.

Yaxley held the paper in his hand, knowing he had succeeded in his mission. It seemed to burn through his flesh as he held it.

"It is Charmed, Amycus. If Lucius is to touch it, it could even kill him."

"Alright, my lord. I will destroy it for you. You can trust me."

He headed off, with the paper in his hand. He stuffed it in his robe pocket. It was a good time to be leaving, as his Polyjuice Potion was starting to wear off; he could feel himself becoming taller.

Yaxley knew that he had to create a fire, so it would seem as if he had completed this. He Apperated to the center of the forest and started a fire. As quickly as he could, he Apperated back to the Muggle home Lucius was waiting for him in. Yaxley handed the page over and then grabbed the real Amycus by the arm.

"_Obliviate_," Lucius whispered, casting it on Amycus. His mind was wiped completely.

"_Imperio_," Yaxley said quietly, also casting it on Carrow.

"I want you to tell him you burnt the page. Tell him you watched it fall into a million pieces in the fire, and laughed into the air. Tell the Dark Lord you have completed the mission. We never locked you in the closet. You completed a simple mission and now you are finished."

Amycus stood straight and walked out, not even acknowledging the casters of the two spells.

* * *

Harry sat by Luna's bed after being told the story of Draco's night with Pansy by Hermione. He brushed Luna's hand softly.

"It's gonna be okay, Luna. I think that Neville is out there, waiting for you to love him back," Harry said quietly.

"You think, Harry? That's interesting. I've never really considered Neville. Even though he did confess his love for me on the bridge the night of the Ball."

"You see? There you go. Talk to him. I'm going to go study, alright?"

"Goodbye, Harry."

He walked out, not having studying on his mind. His hands were held angrily at his sides, balled into fists.

When he encountered Malfoy in the empty hallway, he pushed him onto the wall, a look of shock etched onto Draco's face. Harry wrapped one hand around Malfoy's neck.

"Malfoy, you right foul git, don't you dare hurt one of my friends again. I will track you down and hurt you. I don't think you realize that you broke Luna's heart, do you? You are a ugly, loathsome cockroach, and you should burn in hell for what you did to her," Harry said, connecting his fist into Draco's eye as forcefully as he could, dropping him as he fell back against the wall.

Draco didn't say anything; he was so shocked, he just leaned against the corridor wall, clutching his cheek as Harry angrily trotted away.

That felt good. Too good. He realized how Hermione felt in their third year. He wanted to punch him again. His fist was still clenched. Maybe he could go back and punch him again. Harry dared himself to not go back, just walking straight for the Gryffindor common room, smiling to himself.

**AN: SHORT CHAPTER, I KNOW. SORRY. I REALIZE THAT THIS FANFICTION IS GETTING EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW BUT I PROMISE YOU IT WILL GET BETTER. BIG THINGS WILL HAPPEN IN THE NEXT CHAPTER, I SWEAR. PLEASE REVIEW, PLEASE. I HAVE NINE RIGHT NOW AND I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE DOUBLE DIGITS!**


	13. Chapter 13: Spells That Destroy

AN: THE FIRST COUPLE CHAPTERS WERE A LITTLE SLOW BUT NOW IS WHEN REALLY BIG THINGS HAPPEN. I'D LIKE TO THANK MY FAVORITE REVIEWER FOR GIVING ME THE WILL TO CONTINUE THIS STORY! I LOVE YOU SLYTHERINPRINCESS326! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING THE MOST AWESOME, AMAZING FAN YOU ARE!

Chapter 13

Lucius stared at the wall, grabbing the paper from Narcissa's hand, holding it the first time. As it settled into the palm of his hand, he felt a searing pain shoot through his limb. Blood poured from large gashes that adorned his right arm. He dropped the paper immediately as he watched the gashes on his arm form words through the softest part of the inside flesh. It was warm red against the pale white of his skin, the colors varying against each other. The words spelled out the spell for destroying the barriers around Hogwarts.

Narcissa was at his side in half a second, clutching his arm to her abdomen. She wiped the blood away to stare at the cuts on the inside limb.

"_Incante Velisodum, _that's the boundary spell. Why does it carve itself on your arm when you touch the page?"

"He must've charmed it. He doesn't trust Amycus, or Yaxley, that is," Lucius answered, examining the scars.

She grabbed the page and slipped it inside of her robes. "I guess I will handle it. But we need to leave at this second if we can beat him to the school and get Draco out before he does."

"We will follow you. We are strongest as one. If he is to attack us, he will have less of a chance defeating us if we have a larger army," Nott said, grabbing Narcissa's hand.

They all agreed, grabbing each other's hands until it was one large line of past Death Eaters.

"Ready?" everyone nodded. "Go!"

The whole group felt as if being squeezed through a tiny tube. At some point Narcissa lost Nott's hand, but as quickly as she could she grabbed onto it again. She concentrated hard, and they landed on the ground, lying on the thick green grass. They were right outside the barrier of Hogwarts, and they were ready to break it down. Everyone stood, coughing, never having Apperated as one. This was the moment they had been waiting for for several months. She had a safe house planned for Draco, Lucius, and herself, but it was in Norway, and Draco would attend Durmstrang School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for his seventh year. If Voldemort were to locate them, they would pack their bags and move to Bulgaria. Durmstrang accepted students that were from Bulgaria, Sweden and Norway. They expected that once they were gone, the Dark Lord would not attempt to seek them. As long as they stayed out of his way to power, they would not be a problem to him.

The group raised their wands in unison, all murmuring the spell to break them. Little bursts of white light flew from the, hitting the boundaries and melting them off completely. It took lots and lots of attempts, as it was an extremely difficult spell to master.

"_Incante Velisodum_," Narcissa murmured gently, white bursts firing themselves at the school.

"Stop!" she shouted as everyone dropped their wands.

"The boundaries have been broken."

It was one fearful step for Scabior as he gently placed his foot down where the barriers had been earlier. Nothing happened, so everyone ran forward at full speed, into the barriers.

But they all stopped in their tracks when they heard a soft chuckle from behind them.

"Lucius, it's been a long time since I've seen you, my friend," the Dark Lord said, grabbing his wand from his robes.

"What are you doing here?" Lucius snarled.

"Think you could arrive before I could? It's humorous, actually. I had no intentions of killing the boy. I've lured you into this trap. Now, you can't defeat me. You will not escape my grasp this time," he hissed as Bellatrix began laughing hysterically behind him.

The realization hit them like the high tide washing over them. Of course he wouldn't kill Draco. Obviously, the girl was a friend of Potter's, and a friend of blood-traitors, Mudbloods, future Aurors and such, but he would not destroy a valuable Death Eater.

"My son," he cleared his throat. "I just wanted to protect him. He's the only thing I have left."

"I know," he said, in a genuine sad voice. "But soon, there will be nothing left of the Malfoy family. There is no defeating Lord Voldemort, Lucius. There are no armies against him. Only those dim-witted enough to understand that I, the Dark Lord, am the most powerful wizard ever born."

"You won't destroy my family. Now!" he shouted. Each member of the resistance raised their wands, shooting various curses at certain Death Eaters. Some fell to the ground, some were knocked backwards, and some began to scream in agony. One even caught on fire.

Voldemort lifted his own wand, firing at Nott.

Lucius laughed maniacally. "Where's your army now, Tom?"

"Right here."

Several Death Eaters fired at the small resistance. And a full-blown war had begun.

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Luna was sitting on her bed, closing her eyes and thinking of better times, when she had the two most important people in her life still with her. All she wanted was to grab a Time Turner and go back to the time when everything was okay. She wished she had appreciated it while she had it.

Luna sat up from her fetal position to go look out the window. The Ravenclaw Tower was as high as the Astronomy Tower. It was great to look out the window at night, to stare up at the stars. The bright white lights in the sky really made you realize what a small bit of dust you are, compared to the whole universe, that is. It really cleared out your head, and it made Luna forget how much pain she was in; mentally and physically.

As she looked out over the grounds of Hogwarts, she saw bursts of bright, neon light being exchanged from two large armies, fighting against each other. One side had mostly green light bursting from it, and the other had multiple colors, like red, white, blue, yellow, and others.

It was a war between two enemies, and she knew she had to alert Dumbledore of this. But she couldn't turn her eyes away from the raging armies.

She turned from the window and began at a run towards Dumbledore's office. The cast on her leg slowed her down considerably. Her leg did not pain her anymore, but it really made her feel like she was traveling at the speed of a turtle. Luna had half a mind to rip the cast off and run at full speed. The halls passed in a blur, but she had only been up to Dumbledore's office once, at the end of last year.

She made it to the statues of the griffins that were so life-like they seemed to move on their own accord, but it was obviously a trick.

"Password?" the left one asked in an irritated manner. The statue's mouth did not move as it spoke, but she could tell which one was speaking.

"Please, I don't know the password but I must see Professor Dumbledore at this moment. Please open up!" Luna said loudly, staring at the spiraling stair behind the statues.

"I require a password to open up, ma'am."

"I don't know the password. Lemon drops?" she asked.

"Sorry, miss, but that is incorrect," the other statue voiced.

The painting on the wall made a sound to summon her. She walked closer to the painting.

"The password is Fizzing Whizbees. I just saw Snape go up there," the knight told her, lifting the armor in front of his face and winking at her.

"Thank you, sir! It's very appreciated."

"No problem, Miss Lovegood!"

"The password is Fizzing Whizbees!" Luna told the statue confidently. The griffin sighed, rolling his eyes and opening up for Luna. She ran up the stairs, not even caring if she ripped the cast on her right shin. It didn't matter to her right now.

She pounded furiously on the door to Dumbledore's office. When her knuckles began to ache, she put her ear up against the door.

"It seems as if we have a visitor," Snape said silkily, opening up the door. He glared at Luna through the doorway.

"What is the problem, Miss Lovegood?" Professor Dumbledore asked from behind Snape.

"I need to speak to you, Professor."

"Well, come in, then. You know my door is always open." His bright blue eyes twinkled behind his half-moon spectacles.

Luna limped in and sat down in the comfortable burgundy chairs in front of his desk. Snape gave one look to Dumbledore and stormed out, slamming the concrete door behind him.

"What is it that's troubling you, dear?" Dumbledore asked kindly, pushing his spectacles up his nose.

"Well, Professor, I can't explain it. You just have to see it. Can you follow me to the Astronomy Tower?" Luna pleaded.

"Of course, Miss Lovegood, if it is this important. Remember, I have impending duties to fulfill as Headmaster."

"It is, Professor. I promise. Now come on," Luna said, standing up from the chair and limping out of his office.

It was nightfall, and dinner had ended over two hours ago. Luna was glad that the Headmaster had not questioned why she was out of bed at this hour; she didn't have the heart to tell him about Draco and the fact that she could not sleep. Dumbledore knew the crushing sadness that seemed to bury her alive. He didn't ask why she hadn't been sleeping. He didn't ask why she only swirled food around her plate at dinner table, or why she had lost thirteen pounds in a single week. He didn't ask why she hadn't attended her classes. He knew all the answers.

The hallways flashed by in a blur as she passed through the corridors. Everything seemed to swirl together in her head and the sounds pounded against her skull. It was different colors, but yet she could not tell where one ended and another began. There was infinite space and it seemed to stretch the boundaries of her mind, expanding everything she knew. It hurt to look out and about, as the swirling colors wanted her full attention.

"Student out of bed! Student in the corridor!" A voice shouted. But the sounds all blurred together, sounding like a demented song.

"Mr. Filch, I have granted permission for this student," Dumbledore said, but a note of irritation could be detected in his kind voice.

"Ah," Filch said, walking away from the two with Mrs. Norris in his arms.

"Professor, I can't see. I can't hear. I think I'm losing my mind."

"Luna, if you allow me to call you that, you are a strong young lady. But sometimes people get caught in a bad situation, and it's the choices we make during those times that define who we are. It's been tough for you lately, and you've been brave enough to conquer what persuades some to blacken their souls and fill their minds with thoughts of ugliness. You are brave. You know, sometimes I believe the Sorting Hat makes a few errors."

"You think so, Professor?" she asked as the colors stopped swirling and she was able to see clearly and hear again.

"Yes, Luna. Ah, the Astronomy Tower," Dumbledore said, gripping the railing and looking out over the side of the castle, into the scene Luna had witnessed herself. There was a brief moment of silence as shock etched itself onto the Headmaster's wrinkled face, into his wise blue eyes; the person Luna trusted the most.

The lights were still being transferred, but now the battle had edged itself closer to the school, blowing up the bricks and shattering the glass of the first hall. They spotted several fires that grew and grew, the flames licking the side of the castle.

"Get Minerva and Severus, Miss Lovegood."


	14. Chapter 14: Disloyalty of the Prince

AN: WOOHOO I'VE BEEN EXCITED FOR THIS CHAPTER FOR A LONG TIME. IF YOU'VE READ DEATHLY HALLOWS YOU'LL PROBABLY CRY. IF NOT, YOU'LL LAUGH. PLEASE, READ DH. BEST BOOK EVER.

**MY FAVORITE SCENE IN ALL OF THE MOVIES WAS IN DH P2, AFTER HARRY WATCHES SNAPE'S MEMORIES AND HE WALKS OUT. AND HE SAYS THAT HE HAS TO GO TO THE FOREST AND HERMIONE SAYS, "I'LL GO WITH YOU." IT MAKES ME CRY SO MUCH BECAUSE EMMA IS A FANTASTIC ACTRESS AND I LOVE HER TO DEATH. PM ME AND TELL ME WHAT YOUR FAVORITE SCENE IS. I LOVE GETTING MESSAGES FROM MY DEVOTED READERS AND REVIEWERS. STARTING NOW, MY THIRTEENTH REVIEWER WILL HELP ME DECIDE SOMETHING SMALL AND I WILL GIVE YOU SOME SPOILERS. SORRY FOR THE LONG A/N, I'M JUST BLABBING MY HEAD OFF.**

Chapter 14

"Severus, I assigned you a duty and you failed to complete it," the Dark Lord hissed, placing a cold hand on Nagini's emerald green skin.

"My lord, I was waiting for the perfect time to complete the mission,"

"Now, this is the story I have been told. But whether I believe it or not, I'm not quite sure. Why have you been waiting to kill Dumbledore?"

"I have not been waiting to murder him. I have vowed to catch him off guard," Snape said thickly as Voldemort began to circle him.

"And I would believe you. If you hadn't been living in Dumbledore's pocket all these years."

"My lord, I have sworn to you that my devotion lies in the Dark Lord, and only him."

"Severus, I wish dearly to believe you. But you know very well that my servants will not live forever. Only I can," Voldemort said gently, circling the accused victim. Snape had been a good and faithful servant, or so he had thought.

"My lord, I swear that I am devoted to you. Only you. Dumbledore is nothing but a common enemy to me," Snape said, trailing off toward the end of the sentence. He stared off into the distance, and he felt the shearing pain inside of him, looking into the man's crimson eyes

"I'm sure, Severus. I know that you are a double agent. I've known for a while, now, actually. It's quite humorous that you thought I would believe you. After all this time, you've been in the Order of the Phoenix. Don't try to lie to me, Severus. I am no fool."

"My lord—"

"Don't call me your lord, Severus Snape. I know who your real lord is. Your grave can be placed right next to his, if you wish," he hissed.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" Voldemort said, casting the spell right at his old servant.

Snape clutched his heart right before the curse hit him. "_Lily_."

Severus's body dropped to the ground of the Shrieking Shack. He hit the wood flooring, hand draped delicately over his heart, his last word remaining there for as long as eternity would live on. His love for her was infinite, and he would spend his last seconds protecting his love's son. It didn't matter what the Dark Lord knew anymore. It was Lily that mattered to him.

Voldemort looked down upon the man gently, placing his wand back in his robes delicately. "Nobody will make a fool of Lord Voldemort."

He stepped over the body, exiting the Shack with a graceful finality.


	15. Chapter 15: The Gruesome Beginning

AN: AND IT ALL BEGINS! NOW THIS CHAPTER MADE ME CRY AS I WROTE IT. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TEARY EYES OR PITIFUL SAD FACES, HAHA. I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW I DON'T PARTICULARLY HATE ANY CHARACTERS. JUST SO YOU KNOW.

AND BY THE WAY, THIRTEENTH REVIEW HELPS ME DECIDE SOMETHING SMALL IN THE STORY! THANKS FOR READING, WE ONLY HAVE 7 CHAPTERS UNTIL THE END.): I'M SAD TOO.

Chapter 15

Luna turned the corner, firing a curse at a Death Eater who waited around the brick wall of the castle. The man flew backwards when the spell hit his chest, crashing into another Death Eater.

Luna looked around at the grounds. People were battling Death Eaters all around her; where fires blazed in spots they should not have been, catching the dead grass alight with the bright orange flames. She fired another the Disarming Spell at a Death Eater dueling Oliver Wood, who had returned from playing for the Chudley Canons to help battle. The Death Eater's wand flew from his hand, hitting the side of Hogwarts loudly.

Luna ran back inside the school, where a Death Eater was spraying the fires that blazed in goblets on the walls, putting out the only light in the room.

"_Stupefy_," Luna said, hitting the man in the back of his shin. He fell forward; the water that once glided from his wand was now put to a stop, like a faucet that had been turned off.

A spell was fired at her from the side. She drew her wand quickly.

"_Protego_!" Luna yelled, firing it at the man.

The spell happened to be a Killing Curse. The Death Eater fell on his back, eyes still opened to the world. An impending pain fell upon her as she realized she had murdered a man. Gently she pulled down on his eyelids, closing his eyes. Now he could be sleeping.

Everyone was dueling someone. McGonagall was holding Dolohov in the air by her wand, and she flung him around as he jerked violently. Professor Sprout held her wand out as the Devil's Snare wrapped around Nott's neck.

George Weasley battled Scabior the Snatcher, but he seemed to be losing the battle. Luna threw a spell at Scabior's head, knocking him out cold. George ran over, pulling Luna into a hug and dropping her back on the ground.

* * *

"Draco," his father whispered roughly, licking his chapped lips.

"Draco, we're here to help you. Come with us, Draco, we're taking you away. You'll be safe, he won't find us. Draco, we'll be a family once more," his mother said gently, and with each repeat of his name he felt a stinging sensation wash over him.

Draco stared at his parents, at his mangled family. They cared for him. That was what mattered, he guessed. No matter what he had gone through, his parents had been there to help him through it. He never had to face a problem alone, because his mother was by his side, supporting him and making sure that he was okay. That was the definition of parents. They may not be the perfect family, Lucius may hit him sometimes, and Narcissa might shield him from the world too much, but people had their quirks, everybody did. What mattered was that they cared and loved him.

"I—" he began.

But he was interrupted by two flashes of green light, knocking them onto their stomachs in front of him. Draco watched them, waiting for them to move or twitch or get up.

But his parents were dead in front of his eyes. A pain settled over him as he realized what had just happened. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy- dead.

Voldemort smiled insanely behind his parent's dead bodies. "Draco. I see we have met again? How are you? I believe small talk is in order."

"Damn you," he whispered, Apperating to the top of the Astronomy Tower. He did not know why that was his spot of choice, but it was away from most of the battle. Lights flashed and he heard the screams and cries from below him, sending shivers down his spine. Spells were shouted, and he heard cries of "_Avada Kedavra_!" and "_Crucio_!" from below him. It sickened Draco.

An idea crossed his mind. It was brilliant. Voldemort would never suspect a curse from above; he probably didn't even know where Draco had Disapperated to. Draco slowly drew his wand from his robes, pointing it down below him. Many spells wandered across his mind, but one lingered longer than the rest. His breathing quickened as he considered pocketing the wand. But his grip tightened and his heart beat fast in his chest.

"_Expelliarmus_," Draco murmured, pointing it at the spot the green lightning bolts were originating. He watched the red bolt as it traveled toward the Dark Lord. He waved his wand, pushing the spell back at Draco. He ducked out of the way of it, but it crumbled the floor of the balcony he stood on. Suddenly the ground was cracking and shattering beneath his feet. His stomach dropped as the small balcony started plummeting to the ground. He was falling down, down, down, his heart racing, his breath stopped. In midair he jumped from the piece of concrete, falling on his back on the green grass.

Luna. He had to protect Luna. Even if she hated him, he would protect her at any cost. Draco made a mistake just like anybody else. She was wrong to think she hadn't made mistakes in her fifteen years of life. Yeah, he got a little drunk. He made a few mistakes but if he were perfect than he wouldn't be standing here today, killing Death Eaters and protecting Hogwarts. Luna was important to him, more important than anything and everything else in the world. If she were to die Draco would feel like the blood was on his hands the rest of his life, and he could not live like that.

The Death Eaters were winning. They needed Harry. Harry could defeat the Dark Lord, and he was the only one who could.

Suddenly someone was running at him in the dark, and he raised his wand. It was Potter. He dropped his wand instinctively as Potter shoved something at him.

"Luna's hurt. Go help her! Take this map!" Potter yelled as Draco read the yellow parchment carefully. There were people everywhere, and their movements were being tracked by this piece of paper. He found himself, and found Potter. His eyes searched the paper for Luna's name. Finally he spotted it. She was surrounded by Death Eaters.

He pocketed the map and ran as fast as he could to the place the map said she was. He didn't know if she was actually hurt; he couldn't trust Potter. But he was good friends with her; he wouldn't want her hurt; would he?

She was battling four Death Eaters at once, and she didn't seem to be winning.

"_Stupefy_!" Draco yelled, throwing the curse at one of the Death Eaters.

"_Expelliarmus_!" One Death Eater screeched, pointing his wand at Draco.

"_Protego_!"

The man's wand was knocked out of his hand, but he quickly grabbed it again.

"Don't move, Draco," the man warned. "This isn't the life you want. Come to us, we'll protect you. Don't fight against us. Join us."

"Like hell!" Draco yelled, not dropping his wand. He watched as Amycus turned towards Luna with his wand raised, pointing it at her chest.

"_Crucio_!" Amycus yelled, hitting Luna with the spell.

She dropped to the ground, screaming and writhing with bloodcurdling squeals and squirming attempts to break from the spell.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" Draco yelled, firing Amycus right in the heart.

He dropped to the ground. Dead.

Draco had never used an Unforgivable Spell before. He felt wrong. But Luna lay on the ground, breathing heavily.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!" he waved the spell at all the Death Eaters that surrounded her. As they all froze in place Draco used the Imperius Curse on each one.

"Fight for us, not against us!" was his only command.

Draco dropped to the ground beside Luna. "Potter said you were hurt."

"I was. I don't need your help though. I'm fine without you. Happy without you." Luna was a warrior, not a princess. She didn't wait around for her prince to sweep her off her feet. She went out and fought. That was what made her so special to everyone.

"I made a mistake, Luna-"

She stood up, dusting herself off. "And we're not discussing this now."

She ran off, hitting a group of Death Eaters with a disarming spell.

* * *

Seamus looked over at the east wing of the school, raising his wand. Flocks of Death Eaters were Apperating to that spot.

"Ready, Neville?" he asked.

"Ready, Seamus."

They both raised their wands towards Ravenclaw tower. "_Reducto_!"

The school released a loud, booming sound and the tower began to crumble apart, brick by brick, hitting the concrete with a loud _clink_. But then a huge mushroom of bright orange flames burst from the spot, making the whole east side of Hogwarts explode.

"Run!" they screamed in unison, taking off from the scene as fast as they could, screaming like little girls.

* * *

Hermione dueled Bellatrix, emotion raging with every wave of her wand. Each spark that glided from the tip had her hatred for the mad woman in it. But it was a losing battle. Ginny had jumped in, but still, the woman was too much for them.

"_Stupefy_!" Bellatrix screeched, knocking the two of them backwards into the wall of the corridor. They hit their heads on the marble floors, pulling them into unconsciousness.

"Hermione, Ginny!" Ron screamed, rushing to their side. He woke them quickly and pulled them up from the floor.

"We have to find Harry, Ron."

"No, we can't. I just said goodbye to him, Hermione, I'm so sorry. He's gone to fight him. I couldn't make him change his mind. I would if I could. Hermione, he said to protect you. I'm so sorry."

"He can't! No, I'm sticking by his side, no matter what! I said I'd be there for him and I'm not breaking any promises to him. He knows he can't win," Hermione cried.

"Harry doesn't want anybody else to die for him. He says too many have died trying to protect him. Don't go, please, Mione. For me. Stay, please, just stay. You're going to end up dying for no reason. I can't let you. You have a full life ahead of you. Stay for me."

"I can't let him go like that, Ron. I hope you would do the same for me."

* * *

Neville was lying on the cold tile, exhaustion settling over him. He wondered if he could crawl up to bed. But then he sat up, and he smelled the smoke, he heard the screams and bloodcurdling cries, he saw the mangled, torn apart bodies that littered the floor, he felt the coldness of wartime, and he tasted the metallic taste of blood. Quickly he grabbed his wand from his cardigan.

There she was. The hatred boiled over his entire body, like liquid anger flowed through his veins. She was the reason that his parents would never go home. She was the reason he could never speak to them. She was the reason Frank and Alice Longbottom had no recollection of a boy named Neville.

He gritted his teeth, tasting the blood on his cheek. Next to him, in a pile of dusty bricks and blocks of broken stone, he saw something he hadn't seen for months. Neville picked up the Sorting Hat and dusted it off.

Suddenly he heard the gleam of metal, and the hat suddenly became heavier in his hand. He groped on the inside of it, feeling something stone cold and hard in his palm. Neville pulled the sword of Gryffindor from the hat. Suddenly it dawned on him what he had to do. Ron was battling Bellatrix, and she had him pinned against the wall, about to use the curse to end his life.

Neville stood up, running at her. When he reached Bellatrix he stabbed the end of the sword into her back and once again where her heart would be from the backside.

She gasped and time froze for a split second. Her breath released and she fell to the ground, clutching her heart underneath her palm.

"That's for my parents."

Neville dropped the sword on the ground with a loud clatter, limping away.

"Neville, wow man, you saved me!" Ron yelled.

"Been waitin' a long time to do that, honestly."

* * *

Harry raised his wand instinctively, holding it straight in front of his body. The dark night consumed him, and the only light came from the occasional flashes of neon lightning. The storm had descended on them, and Harry knew it was going to rain soon. He didn't care. He had to find Voldemort. He had to end this war. Nobody else would die for him, not today, not ever again. He felt the sting of Sirius, of his father, his mother, of Snape, of Cedric. His heart beat quickly in his chest as he came across the Forbidden Forest's entrance.

A scream, a yelp, a man's voice sounding loud and clear penetrated Harry's mind. He wandered to where the screams came from, deep into the trees.

"Hagrid, no!" Harry screamed.

Rubeus Hagrid, the first wizard he met, the one who introduced Harry to the wizarding world, the one who had been there since the very beginning, his first friend.

But there he was, lying sprawled out on the ground as Fenrir Greyback attacked him, eating out his insides.

"Hagrid, no! No, please!" his screams sounded throughout the forest.

"_Stupefy_!" he tried, but the werewolf did not flinch.

"_Incarcerous_!" Harry tried again, but to no avail as the werewolf grinned widely.

Greyback stood, still wearing that smirk that showed his yellowing teeth, sharp like knives to cut up meat and flesh of his victims. Fenrir licked the blood from his top lip and Apperated from the scene.

Harry dropped down to his knees, putting his hands where the wound originated, covering his palms in Hagrid's blood. Harry's first friend smiled up at him weakly, before the weight of the world pulled the smile down, and his warm brown eyes closed, his facial features relaxed. He looked as if he could be asleep.

"Hagrid! No! Please, wake up! Wake up! You are not dead! Please, you can't be, no, Hagrid, Hagrid please. Wake up, wake up!" Harry choked through tears that ran down his dirt-streaked, bloodstained face.

He felt Hagrid's heart, feeling the very last heartbeat he would ever have.


	16. Chapter 16: Friends Until the End

**A/N: PART TWO OF THE BATTLE. DON'T HATE ME FOR THIS CHAPTER. THERE ARE SOME DEATHS. I'M SO SORRY ABOUT KILLING HAGRID. I WAS BALLING WHEN I WROTE THAT SCENE. HE'S LIKE HARRY'S FATHER, AND HE HAD TO DIE. I'M SORRY. PLEASE REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! I LOVE EACH ONE I GET IT, WHETHER IT GOOD OR NOT, I APPRECIATE THE TIME YOU TOOK TO WRITE YOUR FEELINGS DOWN.**

**REMEMBER, NEXT REVIEWER GETS SOME SPOILERS AND A SMALL DECISION!**

Chapter 16

"Harry, come on. We must get up, now," Hermione tugged on the back of his bloodstained jacket.

He still had his hands on Hagrid's heart, waiting for it to start beating again. Harry was covered in the half-giants blood. The tears had stopped flowing. Now he was in the point of denial. He couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that it was time to get up, dust yourself off, and face Voldemort like a true Gryffindor.

"Come on. We mustn't linger here," it was not an honest statement to say that Hermione was cold-hearted over the death of her true friend. She had faced the facts and now it was time to move on. Somebody had to be strong of the two. And this time, it had to be her. She accepted that. She did tear up; she did let them fall down her cheeks. But she pulled Harry away. It was time to go back to reality. All deaths had their time to mourn. But then you stop crying.

He stood up, removing his hand from Hagrid's wound and letting the blood pour freely. One last tear slid down his cheek as he looked down at his first friend's dead body. Harry grabbed Hermione's hand, and they began walking through the closely-knit trees together. Their arms did not swing at their sides, and it was not holding hands like they were a couple. It was holding hands like best friends do. At this moment, he could not be alone. It was too hard to face it all by himself. And that's what friends were for. To stick with you until the very end, for all of forever.

He crunched on a pile of yellowed weeds, looking down at his ripped, torn, bloody shoes. He turned his face to the beautiful girl at his side, planting a small, fragile kiss on her cheek.

Although Harry loved Hermione with all of his heart, all he ever wanted to be was her best friend. He had the best kind of friendship with her. When she cried, he was there to help her through. If she were sad, Harry would comfort her. No matter what, they were there for each other, even if they were not agreeing with each other at the time. They loved each other, and even though they had indeed dated for a miniscule time, it did not ruin their friendship.

They walked through the trees together as thoughts raced through Hermione's head. She was happy, though no smiles lit up her damaged, blood streaked face. If Harry wasn't there, she didn't want to be either. Nobody should face death alone. Hermione squeezed Harry's hand gently, clutching onto him.

She loved him. But not the usual kind of love. It warmed her heart to be with him, but not with the same, fuzzy, butterfly in her stomach feeling she felt with Fred. Her best friend was not alone. And she was not scared to die. Someday, it would happen. And she had to face the facts.

And there they were. In a meadow, full of the bright colors and beautiful flowers. But in the dark, lifeless night, it took on a colder, less friendly feeling.

The Dark Lord turned around at the sound of their footsteps. There was a long moment of silence, where chills run down their spines, looking into those evil, crimson eyes, that snakelike face. The darkest wizard of all time, and his appearance really fit the title.

"Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, come to die," he hissed; leaving a long, suspenseful pause between each and every word he spoke. All you wanted to do was hear the next word.

"Ah, he brought the Mudblood, too. How… sweet. Was she your little pet? Were you too weak to face death alone?"

Harry turned his back on Voldemort, grabbing both of Hermione's hands in either of his. "Hermione, go! Run, please! Leave, this is not the time for you to die."

"No, Harry, I'm not leaving you here! I'm not leaving!" Hermione choked through her tears.

"You have to! Hermione, go! Go!" Harry screamed, once again feeling the tears drip down from his green eyes.

"No! You won't face this alone!"

"Go! Leave, Hermione!" He dropped her hands.

"Harry… I can't."

"Go, Hermione!"

She shook her head, fighting the tears that threatened to spill, her face twisted up in agony.

"GO!"

She looked at him as he pushed her away, the sadness flooding her eyes. Hermione twirled around quickly, whimpering and Disapperating from the spot.

"Where'd your girlfriend go, Potter? Get cold feet?" one Death Eater sneered at him.

"Now now, Theodore, don't hurt his feelings. He's just a young boy, doesn't know what to feel, do you?" Voldemort said in mock gentleness.

Harry closed his eyes, preparing for what was to come. Voldemort raised his wand slowly.

There was a long pause where Harry waited for the two words.

"Potter, I asked you a question, I do expect an answer."

Harry shook his head defiantly, each movement of his head an act of bravery, defying the Dark Lord.

He tisked, shaking his head. "Youth nowadays know no manners. But it does not matter; I have been waiting a long time to say this. Seventeen years, to be exact."

Harry's heart pounded loudly. He wondered if Voldemort could hear it. He had to be brave. He could not run and scream. Harry was not a coward. He was a true Gryffindor. And that's why he stayed exactly where his feet were planted in the grass.

"_Avada Kedavra_!"

* * *

Harry wandered aimlessly through the white station. There was nothing to see; yet there was everything to see at the same time. Everything was white, yet in spots he could see the depth without gaining color. He looked around him at his surroundings. It looked like King's Cross Station. He looked for another human being. He could not find one, until he felt light footsteps behind him.

Harry's head whipped around to see Snape, standing behind him with his cloak trailing on the ground behind him. His past professor looked slightly different. Blood did not stain his cheeks and his hair was not nearly as greasy as it had been in the past. He looked happier, just the way his eyes were lit up instead of being cold and heartless. Fewer wrinkles were drawn onto his pale face, especially around his dark eyes and thin lips. His skin looked fuller and less sunken in.

"Professor, where are we?" Harry asked, reaching up to push his glasses back up his nose. But they were not there. He was seeing perfectly without the round glasses. He felt around for the cuts that were scattered around his face. But they were no longer there. His skin was no longer smothered in blood and dirt. His clothes were clean and untattered, and his hair was cut evenly and not singed off from various fire spells aimed at him.

"I don't know, Potter. Where are we?" Snape asked silkily, still holding a great distance from Harry.

"It kind of resembles King's Cross Station, but I'm not positive," Harry said curiously, once again looking around at his surroundings.

"It's whatever you wish it to be. However, we have more pressing issues to discuss," Snape alleged thickly.

"Professor, am I dead?"

"You are not dead, Mr. Potter. This was an illusion set by the Dark Lord. You are alive and healthy, despite the Killing Curse that was aimed at you."

"Why am I here?" Harry asked, twirling his head around to look around the train station.

"You are asking much too many questions for me to answer all at once."

Harry nodded. One thought conquered the others, and he wanted to ask him. "I thought that you were a Death Eater."

"I used to be. But Professor Dumbledore offered me the position of Potions Master, and I reported to him of the Dark Lord's intentions. It was always questioned whether my intentions were pure. Those who did not believe me had the small bit of intelligence to trust Professor Dumbledore and his decisions."

"So, kind of like a double agent?" Harry asked curiously.

"I guess, if you wish, you could give it that title," Severus murmured, leaving a long pause between each title.

"I guess that sometimes I was a little harsh on you, huh? I'm sorry, professor. For what I said to you in Potions class. That was a bit judgmental of me to give you that title barely knowing you."

"It could be expected of a young, arrogant boy like yourself. Sometimes the youth get involved in things that are not any of their business. However, you have proved yourself worthy of the adult status with your bravery on this night."

"Thanks, professor. I tried to save Hermione. Is she okay?" Harry asked, remembering his best friend that was even braver than he had ever been.

"Miss Granger is alright. She's waiting at the entrance of the Forbidden Forest for you at this moment."

"Is there a reason we're here, Professor Snape?"

"You are in the between lands of life and death, Mr. Potter. And that is what some call, if I have it correctly, your party," Snape said thickly, tilting his head curiously.

"I'm not dead?" Harry thought back in his head. The last thing that he remembered was Voldemort's spell hitting Harry's chest, and falling down.

"How?"

"If you are referring to the reason you are not dead, it is quite a long story."

"I've got time," Harry cleared his throat. "Loads of it, actually."

"Mr. Potter, you know of the fact that the Dark Lord set out to kill you on October 31, before your first birthday."

"Yes, sir."

"No interruptions, Potter," Snape snapped.

"Sorry, professor," Harry said, chuckling.

"The Dark Lord murdered your father and came to you. But your mother, Lily, flung herself into the curse, therefore protecting you with a form of very old magic. The Dark Lord, unknowing of this detail, tried to kill you. But when the spell hit you, it rebounded on himself."

Harry nodded, licking his chapped, rough lips. "I know all this stuff, though."

Snape glared at Harry before continuing on this colorful tale. "When this sequence of events occurred, a fragment of his soul split, and went in to the closest living object, you. There's a reason you can speak to snakes. There is a reason you were almost sorted in to Slytherin."

Harry's mind went blank. All his life blurred into his mind. His thoughts were so dark because they were not his? He was linked to the darkest wizard whom had ever existed? This could not be.

But as he concentrated, he realized it made sense. The vision he had had the year before. He was the snake. He was the one to injure Arthur Weasley. And all the anger he felt, the way he sometimes snapped at someone before he could process a second thought, that was because of Lord Voldemort. He let loose Nagini before his first year because he was linked to Voldemort? He went into the Chamber of Secrets in his second year because of that? His body was damaged and darkened and evil.

"I'm linked to Voldemort?"

"Yes, indeed you are," he said. "That meant that before the Dark Lord could die, you had to. When he killed you, it murdered the fragment of his soul inside of you. Therefore, you lost the ability to speak to snakes. You also will not feel angry at some moments, and it will be impossible for the Dark Lord to put visions into your mind."

Harry shook his head. This was too much for him to comprehend at once. Harry had to die for Voldemort to die. He blinked excessively, inhaling loudly.

"How come Professor Dumbledore never told me anything? Was I supposed to figure this all out on my own? How come he left me to process this right after I died? How come neither of you told me I had to die before he could? You never told me that it's some form of sadistic sacrifice!"

"This is by no means Professor Dumbledore's fault, Potter. The Headmaster told me to tell you, but I had no time before I was murdered. And if you snarl at me once more, I won't tell you the rest, so I suggest shutting that snarky little mouth of yours before I do."

"So does this mean that I have to go back, Professor?" Harry asked.

"If you choose to do so, then yes. It is up to you."

"Thank you, Professor Snape. But how do I leave?" he questioned.

"Just, exit. It doesn't get much simpler."

Harry nodded sadly, standing and walking away from the Professor. "Wait, professor, how can I- how do I kill him?"

"Potter, killing is a dark magic you don't want to blacken your soul with. If you wish to murder the Dark Lord, understand one concept."

He looked at Snape. "Well, what is it?"

"Help will be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it."

Harry remembered that quote from Professor Dumbledore. But the problem was, it did not help him a single bit. He did ask for help. But how was he to get it? And how was he to kill Voldemort without killing him?

Harry looked back at Professor Snape, nodding his silent _thank you_. This was probably the last time he would ever see the man for a long while. Harry respected his former professor greatly now.

And all Snape wanted to say was one sentence.

"_You have your mother's eyes_."

It was one simple sentence, five words, twenty-two letters, but he could not force them through his mouth as Harry exited the white train station.

* * *

Harry awoke with a start. He hesitated to open his eyes. The grass was hard and crunchy beneath his head. He was cold; a slight wind had chilled him to the bone. When Harry had been hit with the spell, his glasses had been knocked off. They were right by his head. With one quick motion Harry grabbed them and pushed them onto his face. His green eyes, his mother's eyes, fluttered open gently.

He jumped up, despite his aching muscles and exhausted limbs, pointing his wand right at his assassin. Voldemort's eyes flew open, their crimson depths cold and heartless, but beyond that a hint of shock.

"He's alive! The boy's alive!" A Death Eater screamed loudly.

He had nothing that would help him kill Voldemort. Nothing would help him. Harry was not powerful enough to kill Voldemort with a Killing Curse. He would see that coming and shoot it back at Harry. He had bluffed, and that moment was when the Dark Lord would realize and call him out on his bluff. He could murder him at any second.

"Dumbledore, I need help. Please help me," Harry whispered.

Pictures flashed through his mind, from his life, from his experiences. They stung at the edges of his mind as each one flashed by.

_He kneeled before Hagrid, placing his hands on the wounds, crying into Hagrid's shirt._

_Harry kissed Hermione on the lips, pulling her closer to his body, threading his fingers through her silky hair. Their tongues collided and battled each other, asking for entrance._

_He tickled her sides, and she giggled and rolled onto her back. He wrestled her playfully, stopping to stare into her chocolate brown eyes and touching his lips to hers, nibbling onto them._

_Harry twirled her around the Great Hall, one hand placed gently on her hip and one out to the side, his fingers threaded through hers. He gazed into the depths of her eyes, holding her as close as he could to his body, circling around other couples as they danced awkwardly, but in the same moment, perfectly._

_And Sirius fell into the veil, drifting peacefully. Harry's screams were muted by Lupin, and a look of satisfaction crossed Bellatrix's face._

"_Crucio!" Harry yelled, pointing his wand at Bellatrix._

_And out of the Goblet Voldemort rose, grabbing his robes._

"_Avada Kedavra!" Pettigrew screamed. Cedric fell to the ground, eyes shut tightly._

_Harry wandered through the thick green maze, battling vines that reached out to grab his ankles and pull him into the thick bushes._

_He pulled Ron and the young girl up to the surface…_

"_Accio Nimbus!" Harry yelled, mounting the broom and flying to grab the egg._

_Ron and Harry sat with Padma and Parvati, watching Hermione and Viktor dance across the Great Hall, jealousy etched in every line of Ron's face._

"_You're a right foul git, you know," Harry taunted him._

"_Expecto Patronum!" he yelled._

"_Remember three," Dumbledore said, letting the doors close behind him._

_They grabbed Buckbeak and pulled him away from the pumpkin patch and into the Forest._

_Harry pierced the fang into the diary._

_He plunged the sword into the roof of the basilisk's mouth._

"_Master has presented Dobby with a sock! Dobby is a free elf!"_

_Fawkes pulled them upwards, Ginny hanging onto his ankle and Lockhart on to her's._

_Going into the third floor corridor, finding the key on the broomstick, playing chess, watching Quirrell die._

_The Mirror of Erised._

Suddenly a tingling sensation overcame him, and looking into the Mirror of Erised, just the picture in his mind, made his breath quicken. He heard a slight _thud_, and he looked down at the pile of weeds in which his feet were placed. Something bright red sat in the grass next to his feet. The Sorcerer's Stone, never actually destroyed by Dumbledore was the key to killing Voldemort.

_Help will be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it._

Harry felt something appear in his hand, something cold and stiff, made of glistening rubies. The sword of Godric Gryffindor lay in his right palm. Suddenly nothing made sense, except for the fact that this was what Harry was born for sixteen years ago. He raised the sword above his shoulder as he heard a scream.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" Voldemort yelled, but it was too late.

The sword struck the red stone the second the spell left the Dark Lord's wand. The piece of wood in Voldemort's hand shattered apart, turning into tiny particles of dust in the grass.

Spurts of maroon blood squirted from the stone as Voldemort crumpled to the ground, falling to his knees, clutching his temples. He hit the ground hard, his burgundy eyes still opened to the world.

Lord Voldemort was dead. Tom Marvolo Riddle would never be seen again. Harry had killed him. The darkest wizard of all time, killed by the Boy Who Lived. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. You-Know-Who. The Dark Lord. Whatever you wished to call him, you no longer had to. He was dead.

Harry dropped the sword onto the ground, weak in the knees. He let his eyes close, but they opened suddenly as he heard the cracks of Disapperation and the screaming of low voices, cheering and yelling and shrieks of joy and happiness. Flashes of black flipped into the indigo night sky, away from this place, away from the horrors of darkness. Voldemort's Death Eaters were gone. It was over. Hogwarts won. It was all done. Nobody else would have to die for him.

Harry fell to his knees and onto his back, dropping his wand and letting the whole world go for those couple of seconds.

* * *

Harry made his way through the Forbidden Forest as he thought back to how it was possible. Harry had killed Voldemort by destroying the Sorcerer's Stone, but hadn't Dumbledore destroyed it six years ago? Why was it still there? And why was Voldemort's life relying on that single stone when he had gained his body back in Harry's fourth year?

He wandered across the woods, not taking in the beauty of the trees or the cloudy night. All he thought was of how in the world it was possible to kill someone with a stone that had supposedly been destroyed six years ago. He came to the Forbidden Forest's entrance, where Hermione waited for him, a look of shock etched across her flawless face.

"Harry!" Hermione screamed, pulling him into a huge hug. "How are you- alive? Is he dead? Did you kill him? I was waiting for him to leave so I could see you one last time!"

He felt so good, being hugged by her. All he wanted was to tell her every word of what happened. Every single word of it. How he met Snape in the train station and destroyed the Sorcerer's Stone with the sword of Gryffindor. How he saw all the pictures in his mind, and the picture of the Mirror of Erised gave him the stone, just like it did in Harry's first year. But first they had to find Ronald, the third member of the Golden Trio. The two were nothing without Ron. Harry needed his best friend

"Yes! I'll explain later. Come on, we have to go tell Ron!" Harry yelled, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the school. They ran together, as fast as they could, their hands linked at their sides. Hermione stopped them, smiling down at Harry.

"The barriers are broken, let's Apperate."

And Harry had that same sensation, and he felt as if he were being pulled through a tube, and he had the urge to vomit uncontrollably, but soon his feet touched the ground outside the Great Hall, and Hermione's brilliant smile was looking at him.

Harry let go of her hand, pulling open the huge door to the Great Hall, holding it open for Hermione, and letting it slam behind him.

Every head in the Great Hall whipped toward him, and there were cheers and applause. People ran up to Harry, engulfing him in hugs and kisses. Harry was their last hope to kill Voldemort, and there he stood, before them, looking around at the dead bodies on display. As Dumbledore walked up to him, patting his shoulder, Harry looked up at the wise man.

"Help will be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it," Harry said softly.

"That's right, Harry. You have been so brave tonight. You killed the man who murdered your friends and family. I am very proud. Very proud."

"Thank you, headmaster. I'm sorry I had to pull you guys into my battle."

"You did no such thing, Harry Potter. This was not your battle; this was everyone's battle, but yet you are the one who was bravest and that is an accomplishment."

"Thank you," Harry said gently.

When Dumbledore greeted Hermione, Harry walked forward, looking down at Professor Trelawney's mangled body. Lavender Brown pulled a sheet over her favorite teacher's face sadly, looking up to the Seer.

Cho Chang was surrounded by her closest friends, and she looked to be asleep. But when Harry examined her closely, he realized she had no heartbeat. A group of close-knit Ravenclaws were sobbing into their hands around her.

Hannah Abbott had few criers, but those who sat by her dead body cried hard, sobs racking through them.

Tonks's body made him suck in his breath, as Lupin sat near her, holding her hand. He was alive and tears swam down his bearded face.

Harry walked forward, where he spotted Fred and George Weasley, balling into Ginny's shoulders. Pain laced through him, not wanting to know which Weasley's body lie on the cot. He stopped as Molly Weasley threw herself at Harry, engulfing him in a warm hug. Harry felt wetness on his shoulder as tears dripped onto his jacket. Molly pulled him forward.

Harry took a deep breath, pushing past Molly and looking down upon the boy on the cot. Blazing red hair, and pale, freckled skin, eyes closed and mouth slightly open, exposing his set of white teeth. He had marks all over his body, exposing crimson drops matted with dirt. Harry saw the imprint of a single tear that dripped down his cheek. His breathing stopped suddenly, his hearts beat interrupted by the pain that coursed through him. His teeth clenched together, his eyes angry, his hear anguished.

Harry turned around, tears in his green eyes, pulling Hermione away from Ron before she could see whom it was, before the pain would overwhelm her.

"Wait! Who is it? Harry, let me go! I need to see!" Hermione screamed, breaking from Harry's grip. She walked forward slowly, breaking through Molly and George.

"Ron!" she screamed. "RON! Ron, no! Wake up, no, please! PLEASE! Wake up! No! NO!"

Harry grabbed her around the waist, pulling her from Ronald's mangled body. She writhed against Harry's grip, her limbs flying forward to the limp, bloody, battered body on the cot.

"You are not dead! You are _not_ dead!" she screamed.

"Hermione, he's dead," Harry told her gently, looking down at his best friend, from the very beginning. He had shared so many laughs with him. So many talks. So many late nights when they could not sleep, and they would talk until they fell asleep.

"He's not dead! He's going to be okay! Wake up, Ron! Please! Please." At the last word, she broke down in sobs in front of him, grabbing his hand and crying into his chest.

"Hermione," Harry said softly. This time, he had to be the strong one. For her. Hermione meant so much to him that he had to be strong for her.

"No!" she shrieked into his blood stained gray shirt.

Hermione stayed that way for two more hours, until finally Arthur pulled her away from him.

Harry walked around, looking at the other bodies on display.

Seamus.

Parvati

Neville.

Harry drew in his breath, looking down at Neville. Luna was kneeled beside him, crying into his chest just as Hermione was doing with Ron. Draco stood beside her, holding onto her shoulders.

Harry's friend. Neville had always been his friend. Never loved as much, never given as much. But there he was, giving again. That was what made his death the saddest. Neville gave his life, and still he was given nothing. He tried his best to befriend all those who were kind to him. He had done so much for the school. He killed Bellatrix. But he was dead now.

He made eye contact with Malfoy, and something in those gray eyes told him that Draco was grateful. A silent thank you. Harry nodded, walking back to Hermione.

A tear slipped down Harry's cheek as he looked at Ron once more. Nobody should die this early. Nobody should have to experience not getting the person they loved. Neville loved Luna. She loved Draco. Ron loved Hermione. She loved Fred. And now Ron and Neville were dead.

It still hadn't settled in Harry that Ron was gone. He was numb from the pain. It was his entire fault that all those people had died. Every single person who was displayed in the Great Hall died fighting for Harry. And he stood there, not even crying over their bodies. That was the least he could do to honor their bravery. But as he looked down at Ron's lifeless body, sobs racked through him. Suddenly he was kneeling in front of him, the realization sweeping over him like tides of sadness descending over him. The numbness faded from him, the pain searing through every limb in his body.

"Ron, please…"

Hermione broke into tears looking at Harry sobbing, backing up as Fred hugged her tightly, his own tears drizzling onto her shoulders.

* * *

Ginny sat on the bench, wrapped in Oliver Wood's comforting hug. She wept into his shoulder and he held her tightly. She had met him while they were battling, and Dolohov sent a Killing Curse at her and Oliver pulled her out of the way.

The feeling he gave her, like there were millions of butterflies floating around in her stomach. She met his brown eyes and he met hers. His muscular arms held her tightly, and she felt safe and warm.

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Harry sat on the bench alone, looking around at all the people, wrapped in another's embrace. But there he sat. Alone. Like always.

Hermione snuggled into Fred's body, weeping into his chest. He held her tightly to him, and she let the tears flow freely. His face was damaged, strips of pale skin hanging delicately from his cheeks. The blood was specked with bits of dirt, and his hair reddened by the blood on his head. The blue in his eyes looked like an ocean, releasing drops of salty tears into his lips.

Oliver Wood was still holding Ginny in his muscled arms. Being the Keeper really affected his looks. He had a manly build and strong, muscled, tan arms that held the petite redhead in a strong embrace.

Luna sat by Draco, but they were arguing about something, and tears swam down her cheeks. He wanted to hit Malfoy again, but he wondered if that was socially acceptable. He guessed it was not.

But then the blonde got up from Luna's side and sat a couple of feet away from Harry.

"You've got a lot of nerve coming over here, Malfoy."

"I come in peace," Draco said, chuckling bitterly.

"What do you want?" Harry asked darkly, fire in his eyes.

"I just came over here to say sorry," he cleared his throat. "Sorry about Weasley."

"Yeah, because sorry is gonna bring him back. I'd like to see how you'd deal with one of your cronies being gone. You know, it hurts more than you think."

"Hey, I'm coming with the best of regards. Do you happen to see Blaise Zabini around here?" Malfoy retorted, shoving his white blonde hair behind his ear. "Didn't think so."

Harry looked around stupidly, actually searching for the boy. "Zabini died?"

"Yup," Draco replied sadly, popping the p.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"So, I don't want to be friends with you or anything. But you are Luna's best friend. And she said to be nice to you."

"I can tell. I don't think you've ever come up to me voluntarily. Except for maybe if you were trying to hex me."

Draco chuckled. "Okay, so I know we have a lot of history. But let's put all that behind us. Alright?"

"Sure, Malfoy," Harry sneered as Draco walked slowly back to Luna's side.

Suddenly a large group of wizards in white cloaks began pulling Ron's cot away from the others. Harry jumped up, grabbing onto the rail.

"Where are you taking him?" Harry asked, holding on as tight as he could to the railing.

"Harry dear, they have to wash his body so that they can bury him," Molly said, as fresh tears poured down her aged face.

"No! That's my best friend! Please! Don't take him away!"

"They have to, Harry. I'm so sorry," Molly said, her face twisted up into an expression of agony.

And as they pulled Ron away from him, Harry felt emptier than ever.


	17. Chapter 17: This Time I'm Not Fine

ALWAYS REMEMBER, EVERY REVIEWER GETS SOME SPOILERS! THE SMALL DECISION GOES TO SLYTHERINPRINCESS326! SHE GETS TO DECIDE SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL! ANYWAYS, THIS CHAPTER'S A BIT SLOW. SORRY. BUT THERE IS SOME BADASS MCGONAGALL IN IT AND WHO COULD PASS THAT UP? HAHA UM, READ AND REVIEW! WE ONLY HAVE A COUPLE CHAPTERS LEFT AND THAT'S VERY SAD TO ME. I FEEL LIKE MY READERS ARE MY FAMILY AND I LOVE ALL OF YOU GUYS VERY MUCH. I LOVE MY LOYAL REVIEWERS. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING THERE WITH ME UNTIL THE END. I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU. ALWAYS.(;

Chapter 17

Hermione situated herself between Fred's legs as he gently stroked her dirt-matted hair.

"You should go take a bath, love," he said gently, detangling her caramel curls.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked jokingly.

"You stink," Fred said, plugging his nose jokingly and she mockingly slapped his arm.

"But who's going to keep you company?" Hermione asked, looking deep into his eyes.

"Look at George sitting there all alone. I think he needs a friend. And who better for the job than his own twin?"

"Are you sure?" she asked doubtfully.

"Positive. Now go relax. You'll feel better afterwards. I'll be here waiting."

"Promise me."

"Swear."

She got up, looking around at all the anguished faces in the Great Hall. Harry had just killed Voldemort, and people were celebrating with butterbeers. But some sat outside the group, crying, directing their bowed heads at the spots where the cots used to sit.

Hermione ran up the stairs. In truth, she felt all she needed was a hot bath to relax her muscles. She walked into the prefect's bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Slowly she stripped her clothes off, looking down at her bloodcaked body. She turned the water up as hot as it would go and poured the scented soups in with the water, filling the room with scents that pleased her.

Hermione lowered herself into the hot water, her muscles relaxing as soon as they hit the water. For a long time, she relaxed herself in the swimming pool-like bathtub. She cleared her head of all the things that caused her pain, and she almost drifted off to sleep. But then she realized she had other priorities.

Hermione grabbed a bar of almond soap, bringing it up to her nose to smell the sweet odor. She stretched her leg out of the water, caressing the soft skin of her shins with the bar. She realized she also needed to shave, so she grabbed the razor also.

When she finished cleansing her body of all blood and dirt, she began working with her hair. Hermione had to shampoo it several times to get all the dirt out. She noticed that caused her pain, and she almost drifted off to sleep. But then she realized she had other priorities.

Hermione grabbed a bar of almond soap, bringing it up to her nose to smell the sweet odor. She stretched her leg out of the water, caressing the soft skin of her shins with the bar. She realized she also needed to shave, so she grabbed the razor too.

When she finished cleansing her body of all blood and dirt, she began working with her hair. Hermione had to shampoo it several times to get all the dirt out. She noticed that the dirt had turned the water brown. Disgustedly she drained the water and got new, fresh bathwater. She then conditioned her hair and washed her face gently.

When Hermione felt freshly cleansed, she got out and grabbed a big, fluffy towel from the back. She slipped some lotion on and pulled on a light pink silk robe that stretched all the way down to her ankles. Next she walked back to her dorm, slipping on a pair of clean clothes and walking downstairs, hair still wet.

Fred and George sat next to each other, saddened expressions on their usually amused faces. They were looking downwards, and George chuckled, but seeing his brother's sad face, he returned to a frown.

Hermione walked up to Fred and grabbed his hand. He smiled upwards at her and grabbed her hand.

"Took ya long enough."

Fred kissed her intensely, wrapping his arms around her waist.

* * *

"I don't care if you cheated on me, Draco. I still love you, and I still want to be with you," Luna repeated for the tenth time, sighing and pushing the white blonde hair out of his eyes.

"No, no. That night at the Christmas Feast, I don't remember ever talking to Pansy. That must mean something, right?" Draco said, clutching his chin in his pale hand.

"You said that you were drunk," Luna reminded him, pushing her own hair back.

"That's what she told me. But I don't actually remember drinking any alcohol, to be honest. All I remember drinking was pumpkin juice."

"You know, Draco, it isn't a mystery. Don't try to solve it. I'm not mad at you at all. Not even in the slightest. So just get over it."

"Okay, so I remember drinking pumpkin juice. And then I woke up next to her and she told me the story. Who's to say she wasn't lying? When have I ever trusted Pansy?"

"I don't know. Maybe when you were dating her? What are you even getting at?" Luna asked annoyedly.

"I don't know. But I'll be right back, okay?"

"Ugh. I guess I'll be alone to get over all these deaths," she said loudly to guilt Draco. He walked out of the Great Hall, not paying attention to Luna's shouts.

George sat down next to her and hugged her tightly. "You saved my life, you know."

"I know."

"Well thank you. You really were a life-saver." George said, grinning sloppily at his pun.

"That was seriously the worst joke ever," Luna told him, laughing out loud.

"Hey! I worked hard on that one."

Luna eyed him suspiciously, and he began laughing harder. "Just kidding. It kind of came to me."

She bit her lip. "I'm supposed to be sad right now. Stop making me laugh."

"Sorry, I kind of forgot when I started… tickling you!"

"George… stop!" she yelled between fits of laughter, getting lots of glares from those mourning. "Your brother just died!"

"Well, sorry that I thought laughter was important when a person is sad."

"It is. But… forgetting about them is not the answer," Luna responded, wiping a bit of dirt from under his eye.

"You're right. I'll go cry some more."

"George, that's not what I meant," she sighed, watching as he stood up and walked off with a Malfoy swagger.

* * *

McGonagall helped Professor Flitwick with the injuries on his foot, cleaning up blood and disinfecting it with a simple charm. Madam Pomfrey was busy helping a student who had been stabbed by Bellatrix's sharp knife. It had pierced her chest, but she was all right.

A sharp growl was released from the other side of the Great Hall, and Fenrir Greyback rose into the air, preparing to attack an injured student. His teeth were clenched together; ready to chew up the flesh he was about to receive.

McGonagall grabbed a bundle of wands she had snatched from the Death Eaters. The professor raised them up in the air, pointing them at Greyback. "_Avada Kedavra_!"

Fenrir dropped to the ground as the green bolts hit his chest.

The crowd in the Great Hall began cheering loudly as Professor McGonagall dropped the wands on the table, grinning widely.

"I guess that was the last of them."

* * *

"Harry, may I see you in my office for a moment? I promise not to take too much of your time," Dumbledore asked, his blue eyes twinkling.

"Oh, yes. Of course, professor."

Dumbledore led Harry up the several flights of stairs and motioned for him to sit down on one of the comfortable chairs in front of his desk. Dumbledore walked back to the larger seat behind the wooden desk.

"Now, I'm guessing that you are curious about what occurred in the Forbidden Forest this evening," Dumbledore stated, resting his head on his hand.

"Yes, actually."

"Would you like an explanation on how this happened?"

"Yes, please. If you are offering one."

Dumbledore grabbed an empty teacup and tapped it with his wand, filling it with steaming tea. He pushed the cup and saucer to Harry gently and Harry grabbed it, taking a small sip.

"I believe you had a small chat with Professor Snape, did you not?" the headmaster asked, conjuring his own cup of tea and sipping it before setting it back down on the saucer.

"How do you know about that?" Harry asked, shock etched on every line of his dirty, bloodstained face. His bright green eyes twinkled as he stared at the headmaster.

"Harry, nothing goes on at this school that I am unaware of. I have been there with you since the moment you found Mr. Hagrid," he answered, tilting his head. "I was actually quite mortified to hear the news. Spectacular gamekeeper he was."

Harry nodded his head. "How were you there with me?"

Dumbledore tapped his temple with his index finger. "You really do need to exercise your Occlumency skills, Harry. It's quite easy to invade a mind like yours, that puts up no protection against me."

"How come I was able to talk to Professor Snape?"

"Severus was there to explain to you what events had occurred this evening and to guide you to make the correct decisions on the assassination of Lord Voldemort."

"I know I'm asking you a lot of questions. But in my first year, when I was in the infirmary, you told me that you had destroyed the Sorcerer's Stone. But somehow it went into my pocket."

"Ah, the Sorcerer's Stone. Harry, in your first year, I did attempt to destroy the stone. But you know that in your second year, when you used the Sword of Gryffindor to kill the basilisk, it brought in the venom of the snake. Therefore, the sword was equal to the fang of a basilisk. But since I tried to destroy it before this sequence of events, it was merely a piece of metal with almost no destroying powers. Furthermore, the stone was never destroyed," he responded, refilling his teacup with the hot tea.

"That explains why the stone was there. But how come when I destroyed it Voldemort died? When he gained his body back in the third task, I thought that he no longer relied on unicorn blood and the Sorcerer's Stone to give him life."

"Ah Harry. You ask the questions that are most difficult to answer. On the night that Lily put her body in front of the curse, she gave you the special protection, therefore weakening Voldemort. This kind of magic is so powerful that even a potion similar to the one that was brewed by Mr. Pettigrew would not help him gain his body back. Lord Voldemort was still weak. Therefore, he relied on the Sorcerer's Stone to keep him alive in dark times. When you destroyed it, you also destroyed him."

"How did I get the stone?" Harry asked, taking a deep breath between each word.

"I believe you are aware of the images I sent through your mind, am I correct? The image of the Mirror of Erised gave you the Stone because you wanted not to use it, but to destroy it. Do you remember this from six years ago?"

"I do, sir," he nodded his head as he spoke, sipping his tea. "But I thought the mirror itself gave me the stone, not the image of it."

"Both, Harry. Both. If you truly believe that magic can occur, than it will find a way to do so. Understand that purity will forever overrule evil."

"How come I never knew he needed the stone? I didn't know he was weak," Harry said roughly, wiping the stream of blood from the bridge of his nose.

"If you had known that Lord Voldemort was weak, you wouldn't mark him as an equal. Instead, you would have thought of the wizard as inferior. Therefore he did not let you know of his weakness."

Harry nodded, finally understanding.

There was a pause, a small moment of silence where he gently tossed his hands on each other, interlocking his fingers together on the leg of his trousers.

"Harry," Dumbledore murmured quietly, eyeing the boy's fluorescent green eyes with his wise blue ones.

The young boy tilted his head to the side, questioning Dumbledore's quiet words.

"You have been brave. Believe in yourself. you do truly belong in Gryffindor House."

"Thank you, sir."

Dumbledore nodded, eyes twinkling.

* * *

Luna lay down on the floor of the Great Hall. She wondered how she had gotten there. Everything was blurred of the past, just little fuzzy spots in the back of her mind, replayed in her head too many times. The one thing that lingered on her mind was the fact that they had won. She was supposed to be happy. Then why was she feeling so emotionally drained and numb of happiness?

Voldemort was dead. Bellatrix was dead. But still it was the hardest thing to do to force a smile to her blood-streaked face. She had dozens of friends who risked their lives to save hers. Yet she still felt alone and isolated from the rest of society.

Was it because the one person who made her feel like she belonged on this planet had gone off and left her? He had said he would be by her side through every bump in the ride, yet he had turned his back and walked away. Draco meant everything to her. But she sat alone, wondering what she had done wrong. Had she been so obsessive and taken things too seriously between them?

She said she was okay. It was something so simple, to utter the words, "I'm fine," when instead of being alright, you're really hiding your feelings behind a wall of numbness and hostility, not letting Draco see how his actions plunged into her heart like a knife.

She pushed her messy hair back from her face, pulling her knees up to her chest and leaning her forehead on them. As quickly as they dripped, she wiped the tears off her eyes with the side of her finger. If they never fell down her face, did they exist? Just like the philosophical question, "If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is around to hear it, did it make a sound?" The answer was yes, and it always would be. No matter how much she hated it, she cried over a boy.

Luna had known him such a short amount of time, yet at the same time he was the most important person in her existence. How was that even possible? How come the human race always wanted the things that hurt them the most? In a room of things that were good and would help her, Luna always found the thing that would pain her the most. Like finding a bowl of apples and reaching your hand in and finding the one rotten one in the bunch.

She fell on her back on the cement, staring up at the ceiling and thinking about all the things that had hurt her.

* * *

"It seems to be that, unfortunately the east wing of the school, the whole of the Ravenclaw Tower has been destroyed, to no fault of our own, I suppose. Due to this recent change of events, the Ravenclaws will be staying with the Hufflepuffs until we can come up with a more permanent residence for these certain students. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Ravenclaws. And I apologize, Hufflepuffs," Dumbledore announced to the Hogwarts students.

There were collected groans and sighs from certain students, but they were quiet and depressed, and if you listened closely one could hear a soft sob from certain spots in the Great Hall.

Luna looked around at all the students who were talking slowly to each other, sadness etched in everyn line of their flushed faces. She watched as the pain consumed her, pulling herself in a tight ball and closing her eyes, hoping to forget about everything that had ever happened and start fresh once more.


	18. Chapter 18: The Pain I Feel

A/N: HELLO FANS. I APOLOGIZE DEEPLY FOR MY MONTH-LONG HIATUS. IT HAS BEEN BUSY AT SCHOOL AND LOTS OF HOMEWORK AND NEVER ANY TIME TO WRITE. AND MOSTLY IT'S MY FAULT FOR BEING TOO LAZY. BUT I AM BACK AND I WILL HAVE NO MORE HIATUSES FOR THE REST OF PROMISE ME. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW AND REMEMBER THAT EACH REVIEWER GETS TO DECIDE A TINY LITTLE DECISION TO MAKE IN THE STORY! I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT THIS STORY WILL HAVE A SUPER HAPPY ENDING, I PROMISE. I GOT A MESSAGE SAYING THEY CRIED WHEN THEY FOUND OUT ABOUT DRACO'S LITTLE NIGHT WITH PANSY, BUT DON'T WORRY, THINGS WILL WORK OUT IN THE END. ONLY A FEW MORE CHAPTERS TILL THE END OF THIS LONG, MULTICHAPTERED STORY. SORRY FOR THE LONG A/N BUT I FELT AS IF YOU NEEDED AN EXPLANANTION FOR MY HIATUS. STAY CUTE. (:

Chapter 18

She brushed her hair back, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Luna pulled the hem of her shirt down, not paying attention to the words that flew from Draco's mouth.

"Luna! I said I was sorry! What more do you want from me? I did all that I can, just forgive me already!"

"I told you I forgave you, just drop it! I'm fine, im not mad, I know it was a mistake, just shut up, Draco!"

"Don't tell me what to do, Luna! You don't know anything about what I can handle! You know NOTHING! DON'T ACT LIKE YOU GIVE A DAMN ABOUT WHAT I FEEL!" Draco shouted, pushing his face close enough to feel her breath on his cheek.

"What you feel? How about what I feel? You think im actually fine? You think it didn't hurt me a bit to find out you had cheated on me right after I found my father's corpse on the kitchen floor? You think I don't care?" she yelled, pushing him away.

"DON'T YOU DARE BRING THAT UP! YOU ARE A SICK, TWISTED PERSON IF YOU WOULD BRING THAT UP AND ACT LIKE I DID IT ON PURPOSE!"

"YOU'RE A SICK, TWISTED PERSON FOR DOING IT, DRACO! DON'T YOU REALIZE I'M A LIVING, BREATHING PERSON WHO HAS FEELINGS TOO? MAYBE I HELD IN ALL MY EMOTIONS BECAUSE I WANTED TO SEEM STRONG AND ACT LIKE I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT WHAT YOU DID TO ME, BUT IT STILL HURTS! I NEVER GOT TO BREAK DOWN AND CRY UNCONTROLLABLY IN YOUR ARMS! DON'T YOU THINK I WANT TO?"

"I MADE A HUGE MISTAKE, OKAY? I WOULD LET YOU CRY BUT YOU DON'T GIVE ME A CHANCE TO HOLD YOU-"

"I GAVE YOU A MILLION CHANCES-" she interrupted.

"Don't interrupt me,'' he warned, gazing into her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, but not for interrupting, and not for arguing. For every ounce of pain she caused him. Wouldn't it be easier to not love, to fill that empty space in your heart with good friends and family? And sometimes, though she hated to admit it, she considered that. Because as they stood there, glaring at each other, hatred in their eyes, all she felt was pain. All she would ever feel with Draco again was the pain and the scars he left her with, mentally and physically.

As this thought ripped across her mind, she pulled her sleeve down to cover her wrist.

"I guess I am too," he said slowly, not noticing her peach sleeve edging closer to her hand. "I have to go."

She nodded slowly, pushing her blonde frizz backwards so she could see his dirt matted body leaving. He had been through a lot tonight, she thought. He had watched his parents die, and his best friend. He watched the pain on Luna's face as she lost everybody she loved. He had been so strong. She closed her eyes, curling up in a tight ball and trying to drift off on the cold marble floor of the Great Hall.

She looked all around her. The dusty remains of Ravenclaw Tower surrounded her, no others there to experience the tight feeling in her chest and the odd feeling in the pit of her stomach. This was her home, where she belonged. And it was blown to pieces. Slowly, hearing the pound of her boots across the concrete floor, she walked over, picking up a small stone. She examined it in her hand. It was a small chunk diamond-she thought, at least, never had seen a real diamond before- and it shined spo brightly in her palm, reflecting every drop of light in the dust.

And the tiny stone made her smile as she slipped it in her pocket and her smile dropped back to the dusty frown that had been more common on her flawless face lately.

As a single tear dripped down her face, she walked back down the stairs, back to the ones who could help her.


End file.
